Beneath Two Moons
by OpalWings
Summary: Post-series fic. In chapter ten: Heartfelt apologies and some light-hearted moments. Food fights and other such insanity. Another short chapter.
1. Prologue

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**Beneath Two Moons  
1. Prologue**  
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By Jessica Lynn S. (escaflowne@opalwings.com)  
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**Spoilers:** The entire Escaflowne series. 

**Warnings:** Sensuality, _shoujo-ai_ (romance between two female characters), and a bit of violence. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. No profit is being made from my silly fanfiction hobby. ^_^ I do, however, own this fic and the original characters in contains. Please do not post this story anywhere without asking first. 

**Summary:** Hitomi travels to Gaea for Van's 16th birthday, and in the midst of celebration she is confronted with an unexpected request. Fate hangs in the balance of what was intended only to be a fun and romantic evening. 

**Notes on the Revision:** Over the course of writing "Beneath Two Moons" I feel as if I've grown considerably as a writer, which is absolutely wonderful. But as one grows as a writer, one continually sets higher standards for themselves. I got all these helpful reviews (thanks especially to Leah/starhealer for her willingness to rip me apart, hehe, but to everyone else as well, whether they supplied useful criticisms or just a lot of ego-stroking. ^_^) On top of the outside suggestions of what I could change, I also keep thinking of little things to add. Further notes on what's been changed can be found at the end of each chapter. 

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***  
_"I feel the danger  
Seperation  
I wanna take your invitation  
Seperation, it's all around"_  
***

Hitomi Kanzaki stood in front of the full-length mirror on her bedroom closet door. Her expression was one of uncertainty. Though she had given up her tarot readings upon her return to Earth, she still found herself falling in to the role of counselor for many of her friends. Now the advice she gave was not based on the ability of unseen forces to shuffle a deck of cards in her hands, but rather upon genuine experience and intuition. Many wondered how a girl who had never known romance herself could give such helpful insight on the subject. Only her closest friends -Yukari and Amano - knew the truth. Only they knew of her love for Van. They had seen the two together during their only reunion since Hitomi's time on Gaea. Van had come to Hitomi in her time of need, when Yukari nearly lost her life in a particularly bad car accident. He had comforted her and reminded her of the wisdom which she had spoken many a time; that one's belief in a person brings forth a more favorable outcome. 

Hitomi may have acquired a wisdom beyond her years, but the delicate art of dressing formally was a wisdom which she did not possess. When she wasn't in her school uniform, she lounged in her track clothes, or jeans and a t-shirt. She was the very comfortable and casual type of person, overly conscious of her sinewy figure. On this evening, however, occasion demanded that figure be draped in the rich velveteen fabric of a dark green dress. It was of a simple, yet elegant design which Hitomi rather liked and hoped would be acceptable for the affair she was about to attend. It had no sleeves, and its hem reached to just above her knees. The neckline was modest, revealing only the gentle curves of her shoulders. A silver snowflake necklace rested in the gap of her collarbone, suspended by a thin, glimmering chain. Tucked away beneath the fabric of the dress and resting against her heart was a single feather of Van's attached to a leather cord. She wistfully pressed her fingers to the tiny ripples its presence created in the fabric. 

Her pale, honey-brown hair had grown just long enough for her to pull it back in to a two-inch ponytail. She studied herself with scrutiny, tucking a few strands which had fallen astray behind her ears before deciding that she looked all right. She slipped on a pair of black dress shoes and slung her duffel bag over her shoulder, fidgeting nervously with the strap as her eyes meandered across the room. They took on a dreamy glimmer as she thought back to her last encounter with the boy whom she loved. 

The couple had spent a night sleeping in each other's arms and the next day they went to see Yukari in the city hospital. Yukari had been in better shape and her life was no longer in any imminent danger; much to their relief. Instead of returning immediately to Gaea as she feared that he would, Van spent the day with Hitomi. They went to the movies, the arcade and the ice cream parlor, conducted themselves much as a normal couple on Earth would. 

Van had tendency to study any unfamiliar object intensively though, especially that which was mechanical. His gawking attracted the disapproving stairs and snide remarks of many a passerby, but Hitomi thought that it was incredibly cute. She had bought him a small, radio-remote controlled monster truck to take back to Gaea with him as a souvenir. Perhaps the fondest souvenir she herself had of that day was the memory of the first kiss they had shared. In that kiss was an infinite justice which made up for all the times during the fight for Gaea when they had overreacted or had been cold to each other, and for the hurt in Van's eyes when he had gone after Hitomi only to find her wrapped up in Allen's embrace. 

There were more kisses to follow; some gentle, some playful, some scintillating, and some just warm and loving and genuine. She and Van set out that day to fully discover and perfect the art of kissing, together, but in the evening he had to return to Fanelia and reclaim the torch of his royal duties. Unlike the time when they parted after the Great War, Hitomi actually shed some tears. Van had wiped them away tenderly with the promise that she would see him again soon, and she quickly composed herself enough to smile as the blue light took him back to his world. 

A chill ran down Hitomi's spine, and she became uncomfortably aware of the cold air drifting in through her open window. Winter had come late, and even in April, it had not quite yet relinquished its hold on the city. Goosebumps blossomed across the bare skin of her arms and she rubbed them briskly with her hands to warm herself. She dared not close the window, but wisely retrieved a thick shawl from her closet. She wasn't sure how the weather would be where she was going. Her mind and heart were aflutter with the delicate and taunting wings of anticipation, which reached their peak when a reflection of blue light bounced off her mirror, illuminating the room. 

She turned to the window to see Van. Earlier that day he had asked her what she would be wearing through the link between them, and he had definitely taken measures to coordinate. The king of Fanelia was regally adorned in a dark-green satin tunic with golden trim and a pair of black pants of the same fabric. He climbed nimbly through the window and made a swooping bow to her. 

She closed the distance between them in less than a second. "Happy Birthday, Van!" she exclaimed, joyfully throwing her arms around him and snuggling against his shoulder. 

"Thank you, Hitomi." he answered, taking her by the shoulders and holding her at arm's length away so that he could size her up. A wry smile played on his lips. "You look absolutely stunning tonight." The rosy hue of self-conscious embarrassment surfaced momentarily upon her cheeks. He stepped towards her and tilted her chin, giving her a short, sweet kiss of greeting then gently pulled his lips away. "Are you ready to go?" he asked with a smile. Hitomi nodded and wrapped her arms tightly around his torso once again. He always smelled the same, she observed as she breathed in the fresh and earthy perfume of his hair. In an instant, the blue light had returned, whisking them away to Gaea. It dropped them discourteously in some bushes. 

"There really should be a better way to control that." Van muttered in mild irritation. He struggled to his feet and helped Hitomi to hers. "Your dress is covered in leaves." he observed. She brushed and picked them off as thoroughly as she could. 

"Turn around." Van directed her. She obeyed and found herself blushing again as he brushed a few leaves she had missed from her backside. She turned back around and met his eyes. He was blushing too. He quickly averted his eyes by looking up to the stars to get his bearings. There was a definite glow on the Eastern horizon. 

"It seems the blue pillar was merciful to us, after all." he said. "We are not far from the castle." He took off his tunic and the white undershirt beneath it, folding them carefully as not to wrinkle them. "Hold these, will you Hitomi?" he asked. With that, he revealed his wings. He scooped her in his arms and together, they flew off in the direction of the glow. 

They had a soft landing on the unfinished rooftop of the Fanelian castle. His boots barely made a sound as they hit the gravelly surface, but the sound was enough to attract the attention of an enthusiastic young cat-girl who had been waiting for them. "I saw the blue light, Van-sama!" Merle said with glee, running to Van and giving him the hug which was ritual between them, whether they had been separated for a month or for half a moment. She then pounced on Hitomi, practically knocking her off-balance. Hitomi hadn't expected such a blatant display of affection. Merle licked Hitomi's face with her coarse, bristly feline tongue, a well-meaning gesture which mildly irritated her skin. 

"I missed you too, Merle." Hitomi said. "But if you keep that up you are going to give me a rash!" 

"Hmmph!" said Merle, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes. 

"Hey, nothing personal." assured Hitomi. "It's just that cat saliva is an allergen." 

That prompted Merle to speak again. "Strange girls from the Mystic Moon are an allergen." she stated, matter-of-factly. 

"Typically one does not go licking things that they are allergic to." pointed out Van, who had taken his clothing from Hitomi and put it back on over the course of the short conversation. Merle did not grace his words with an acknowledgment. "I'm sorry about the mess," the young king continued, "not all the rooms are finished yet here." 

"Hitomi, come with me." Merle purred softly, "I want you to see my dress for the evening." Hitomi looked to Van, questioningly. 

"Go on." said Van, "Catch up on things. I have to make sure that everything is ready for the banquet." He smiled warmly. Merle took Hitomi's arm and lead her off running down a hallway, barely giving her the time to look over her shoulder to bid Van a temporary farewell. Hitomi saw what Van meant about the unfinished rooms. Some walls were still only skeletal frames, others were just wooden boards that had yet to be sanded or varnished. The castle had been partially rebuilt to serve as a storehouse for building materials and a cafeteria-slash-shelter for the homeless, but Van had still prioritized the homes of his citizens over his own. Thanks to his tireless efforts, the majority of residences in the kingdom were nearing completion in a remarkably short amount of time. 

When they entered Merle's room, the cat-girl produced a heap of smooth lavender fabric from her wardrobe. Without warning, she stripped off her usual yellow-orange dress right in front of Hitomi. Hitomi turned her head, glancing toward the ground. Merle had no shame. 

"Okay, it's safe to look now!" the little cat commanded. "Not that the sight of me naked would have made you blind or anything... Do you like it?" The dress was roughly the same length as Hitomi's, but its neckline plunged deeply, revealing painfully little cleavage. It had obviously been designed for someone with a more mature figure, a fact which Hitomi was quick to point out 

"Hey, don't get cocky with me." growled Merle, "I'll have you know that I am a woman now!" 

Hitomi dared not ask what Merle meant by that remark, but given the cat-girl's inherent lack of tact, she had a vague idea. The thought of Merle on a premenstrual mood swing caused her to shudder, and she hoped she would never have to see such a sight. 

"Well, at the least, we need to adjust those straps." Hitomi persisted in a motherly tone. Merle grudgingly complied. Hitomi raised the neckline a few inches, making Merle look more respectable and a bit less silly. 

"Come on, let's go!" said Merle impatiently. "This is going to be so exciting!" 

"Hold on just one second." said Hitomi, rooting through a small jewelry box. 

"Oh, but I hate wearing fancy jewelry." whined Merle in protest. "It looks pretty enough, bug it snags on things" 

"Well," said Hitomi, "if you want to brag about how grown-up you are, then you have to look the part." Merle huffed in frustration. Maybe Hitomi had more style sense than she had realized. Merle was quick to cease her protests when Hitomi produced a large bag of gourmet jelly beans from her duffel and presented them to her. "Candy, from the Mystic Moon." she smiled. 

***

The airship Crusade had docked just outside of the castle. Van, Hitomi and Merle ran to greet their guests. Allen was the first to step out. He took Princess Eries' hand, and helped her down off of the ship. They were followed by the crew. Allen bowed formally to his hosts. He respectfully kissed the back of Hitomi's hand. "Hitomi, it's been a long time. I trust you have been well." 

She was afraid to look in to his eyes for fear of the hurt she might see; the hurt of rejection. But when his blue irises rose to meet her green, she saw no sadness. The Caeli Knight looked more at peace with the world than he had in a long time. 

The ritual of bows and greetings was repeated with Eries, who appeared regal and unreadable as always. Hitomi knew that Allen had come because he was Van's friend, and it wouldn't have surprised her if he had accompanied Millernia to Fanelia. Why the second princess had come instead was beyond her. Her contact with Eries had been limited to only a few words when she had seen her around the palace in Asturia. Van knew Eries a little better from council meetings during the war, but not by much. 

"Van, my sister sends her regards." Eries said. "Unfortunately she could not attend. Her royal duties have kept her otherwise occupied." 

"This is understandable." said Van. "She has a big task on her hands, as the future ruler of such a great country." 

"I must admit that her new devotion to her royal duties has astounded and impressed me." said Eries, thoughtfully. "She has really grown up in such a short time. I guess that is the result of war." Van nodded in understanding. 

"My sister will not be in attendance either." said Allen regretfully. "She had really wanted to come, but she caught cold. I left her in Asturia, under Millernia's care. Celena will be bitter with me for a week or so, but it is in her best interest. She needs to rest. She had so wanted to see you all." 

Merle folded back her ears, which had been previously perked. "Celena-chan is not here?" she frowned. She muttered something quick and apologetic to excuse herself, then scampered off on all fours in to the castle. 

"You mentioned that Merle and Celena had become friends." Hitomi said to Van. 

"Yes. I feel sorry for Merle. She will probably brood for the rest of the evening instead of enjoying herself." answered Van with a frustrated sigh. 

"It is a pity, but I can send Celena to visit when she is well, if his majesty Van permits." said Allen. 

"She is welcome here any time." said Van. "Merle's happiness is my own; due not only to the fact that she is like my sister, but also that she is rather vocal when she is unhappy." 

Allen smirked. "Celena is the same way." 

"Well, preparations for the evening are in place." said Van. "Shall we dine?" 

"That would be most delightful." said Eries, hooking her arm in to Allen's. Van followed suite, taking Hitomi's arm. Together, they led their Asturian guests to the castle's rustic-yet-charming dinning hall. It was one of the few rooms that had been completely finished and furnished, due to the important function it played in receiving those who came to offer their support in the rebuilding. The room's table was low to the floor, surrounded in soft red cushions for the guests to sit on. Hitomi found it to be reminiscent of traditional Japan, though her own family's furniture was a bit more modern. Van took a seat, cross-legged at the end of the table and motioned for Hitomi to sit beside him. The dark wooden walls were illuminated by the soft amber glow of candlelight. 

Aside from Allen, Eries and crew, there were only a small handful of foreigners at the banquet. Despite everything that had happened, Fanelia was still a fairly private country. Two representatives from Freid were there, baring a gift from Chid. The rest of the company was comprised mostly of members of the Fanelian royal council and palace staff. Those in attendance numbered to less than thirty-five in total. 

Dryden Fassa had been one of the first to sign on to Fanelia's new council after the Great War. He had proven to be a valuable ally, securing badly-needed food and construction materials from other countries while slowly rebuilding his fleet on a modest salary. But he had made it very clear that his position was not a permanent one. It was but a pit stop on his journey to make an honorable life for himself and truly win Millernia's love. Van would miss him greatly when he left. The quirky but resourceful man had become one of his trusted friends. When the guests were seated and the vino was poured, Dryden was the first to raise a glass in honor of the young king's sixteenth birthday, and to the great accomplishments which Van had made in the rebuilding of his country. 

Hitomi's eyes lit up at the sight of the familiar, sweet-smelling alcoholic liquid, but she felt Van gently drive his elbow in to her side. "Only one glass." he whispered, catching her eyes. "I have things to discuss with you this evening and I would prefer for you to be conscious." He chuckled slightly in recollection of Hitomi's drunken episode in Asturia. Hitomi sighed and gave Van an obligatory nod. She had already proven that once she was under the influence of alcohol, she did not know when to stop. Drunkenness would badly hinder any attempt at a serious conversation. 

It was then that Dryden urged Van to say a few words to his guests. 

"Well, umm..." Van stammered; not having previously rehearsed any sort of speech. Every eye at the table was focused squarely upon him. He composed himself quickly. "I would like to thank everyone for coming." he said. "I would like to thank everyone here for your continuing efforts to rebuild Fanelia; may we all continue to work diligently to return it to its former glory. Most of all, though, I would like to thank Hitomi. Without her, there would probably be no world left in which to rebuild Fanelia." He beamed at Hitomi as the guests broke in to a round of applause. Hitomi turned bright red with embarrassment and sank in to her seat. 

"I would also like to take a moment to remember the life of Folken Fanel, the man who gave his life for Gaea." said Van, bowing his head. Hitomi reached out and placed her hand protectively over his as they sat in silence, until Van broke the somber atmosphere by announcing, "Well, let's eat!" 

As far as royal banquets go, Van's was far from the definition of formal. Aside from perhaps the overly-refined Allen and Eries - who Dryden studied with a pleased expression - the guests gorged themselves on their meat and dove in to the vino as if there was no tomorrow. "And here I was worried I wouldn't be fancy enough..." said Hitomi to herself, poking at the strange bird in front of her with a fork. It looked as if it had been barely cooked, and she wondered briefly if it would eat her first. 

"It's good." said Van softly in a moment between his conversations with the other guests, "You should try it." She took his word for it, and to her surprise, it was rather good. It reminded her of the night in the forest when he had cooked for her after the dramatic rescue from Meiden Fassa's geckos. 

That night so many months ago had been one of the first times Van had really opened up to her, and she had accepted his honesty as a gift. Then, her eyes had still been filled with stars bearing the imprint of "Schezar." The true definition of the closeness she felt to Van had evaded her. Yet she felt deeply for the sullen and gentle boy. She had hoped with all of her heart that some day he would see Fanelia rebuilt and prospering. She suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of pride for her love. Since her first departure from Gaea, she had won a few track meets and passed all her tests. Van had rebuilt a decently-sized portion of his country. 

***

The festivities of the evening were even more informal than the dinner. The guests assembled at the edge of the forest outside the castle. Torches were lit, more vino was served, and a band of wolf men pounded out primal beats on their drums creating an enchantingly medieval atmosphere. 

Van leaned back against the thick trunk of a tree. Hitomi had persuaded Merle to give up her brooding momentarily for a dance. Now he was content to watch from a distance as the two leading ladies of his life tore up the ground, moving wildly as if their dance was one to plead for the mercy of the gods. It would have been convincing, had they done it straight-faced, but Hitomi threw back her head in a fury of giggles. Perhaps she was simply in a festive spirit, or perhaps that one glass of vino was enough to set her tipsy. Van assumed the later when she fell flat on her rear. By then, Merle was laughing too. 

Allen and Eries waltzed gracefully past them in typical Asturian style; which - paired with the music that was playing - was the most bizarre sight Van had ever seen. Hitomi and Merle passed each other off to one member of the Crusade crew after another, but the princess and knight danced only with each other. Van silently wondered what was afoot with them; normally he wasn't the most astute when it came to the emotions of others, but Millernia had been quite vocal about her love for Allen during the war. Dryden walked up beside Van then, looking at the pair from Asturia. 

"Competition...resigned." he observed with a soft, dry laugh. "I should like to go back to my country and see Millernia again soon. I miss her." Van stared off in to nothing, in to blackness. 

"Why such a serious face?" asked Dryden 

"You know why." answered Van flatly. "You know what it is that I intend to ask of Hitomi." 

"I know, I know." said Dryden. "But why not go have a few dances with the young lady first, and have fun while there is still fun to be had? Leave seriousness for later. You're growing up fast, Van. Things will never be this innocent again." 

Van looked as if he was not paying attention to the wisdom of Dryden's words. 

"Fine." announced Dryden. "If you will not dance with Hitomi, than you shall dance with me instead." 

"Dryden!" Van barked out in protest, but served only to draw attention to himself as the bigger man lifted him off of his feet and effortlessly swayed him to the music. The young king struggled helplessly against being spun like a ballerina, provoking much laughter from his loyal subjects. Hitomi was fast to come to his rescue. Van looked very much like a disgruntled feline, brushing himself off as if he'd been contaminated by Dryden-germs. But within a moment he was smiling in Hitomi's arms. 

"There, was that so tough?" asked Dryden with a smirk, than wandered off to converse with the representatives from Freid. Van and Hitomi danced a few rounds before they slipped away from the party and to the castle's garden. 

***

"I had wanted to show you what I've done here." said Van. The landscaping and replanting of the garden was one thing he hadn't put off, as its beauty brought joy and hope to the people. It looked ethereal now; bathed in the soft glow of the moons and stars. In its center was a large and distinguished fountain, spouting glimmering liquid silver cascades of water which ran down in to a surrounding pool. The pool was the shape of a crescent moon and it was filled with fish. They were covered in glistening mirror-scales not unlike ceremonial armor. 

Perched atop the fountain was what appeared to be - at first glance - Folken Fanel. Hitomi wondered for a moment if perhaps he had returned from the dead. He stood tall and regal with his eyes facing skyward and his wings extended behind him. As she stared on in disbelief, the realization came about that he was made of bronze; a mere illusion created by beautiful craftsmanship and given wing by the magic of the night. Newly-planted flowers were just beginning to bud, daring not to open their petals to the world so soon. But the weather of Fanelia, she noted, was rather warm and pleasant compared to her home Earth. 

"It's beautiful." Hitomi said in a voice which was breathy and laden with awe. 

"You like it, then?" Van smiled proudly and she nodded the affirmative. "Let's sit down." 

He led her to a stone bench. There, he took her face in his hands and carefully pressed his lips to hers. Their mouths interlocked and tongues entwined with all the elegance of a well-rehearsed dance. He tasted uncharacteristically sweet; vaguely like the pastries he'd eaten for dessert. She felt the muscles in her body relax and go limp until his arms were the only thing supporting her frame. He pulled away and she looked up at him with starry eyes. 

"I brought you something, Van." she said. She reached in to her duffel and produced a small sculpture of a traditional Japanese-style dragon. It was made of plaster and coated with a dark cherry-wood lacquer which matched Van's eyes. It's body was long and serpent-like, curling in a majestic spiral. He took it in his hands, studying the craftsmanship. He thanked Hitomi with profound sincerity, then set it down on the bench beside him. Then he rose to his feet. 

"There is something I'd like to ask you, Hitomi." he said, looking at her with purpose in his eyes. She had not been prepared for what he was about to do, and her jaw dropped when he dropped to one knee and produced a large, sparkling ring from his pocket. The metal could have been platinum, and in the center, two polished pieces of energist stone overlapped like the Earth and its moon. 

"Hitomi, will you stay in Gaea and rule Fanelia by my side as my wife?" Van asked. 

The cold snare of reality wrapped around Hitomi's throat and jolted her from her dreamy contentment. Romantic as it was, Van was proposing marriage. Not only marriage, but he was proposing that Hitomi leave behind the world which she called home again, this time for good. It was not a decision to be taken as lightly as he presented it. It was a decision she was not old enough or ready to make. 

A wave of anxiety beat hard against her mind, washing through her entire body. Her current situation with Van had pleased her just fine. Though they did not see each other often, the emotions and connections between them were strong. She did not understand why Van was so quick to ask for such a life-altering commitment. Finally, she managed to part her lips to stammer, "But I'm not even finished with high school!" 

Van looked as if he was about to throw up. "Are you saying no?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. 

"No, I am saying that I don't know. I am not ready to be married." Hitomi said, her voice fragile and breaking. "I am only sixteen." 

"So your feelings have changed so soon?" Van asked accusatorily. He silently recalled the day Hitomi returned to the Mystic Moon and how she had told him that she would like to see the new Fanelia by his side. He cast his eyes downward. "I know it is a lot of me to ask for you to leave your world behind. But as Fanelia's king, my people will expect me to take a queen and produce a heir. They have already begun to talk about it." His voice was cold with an edge of anger which cut Hitomi to the core. 

She shivered. She had been foolish to never think of such a thing before. She had believed- quite naively - that her romance could continue exactly as it had across the distance forever. She loved Van, that was without question, but she also loved her family and friends on Earth. The situation was do or die. If she would not accept his proposal and leave her world, Van would have to leave their love behind instead. He would have to marry someone else to fulfill his duties to his country. Everything they once had would be only a memory, as vague and intangible as a dream. She would wake every morning thinking of the chance she had passed up, her only chance of a future with the boy she truly loved. She balled her fists in anger at being thrown in to the position of having to make such a choice. She felt her heart wrench hard, caught in a great constricting sadness. Breathing was suddenly very difficult. Tears came to the corners of her eyes, but lingered frozen, refusing to fall. 

"Shh." he brought his finger to her lips. "You don't need to say anything." He was the first to shed tears. A thin trickle seeped down the side of his face, leaving a forked trail from his eye. Hitomi reached out a hand and stroked his cheek, tenderly wiping it away. He got up from his position and returned to his former one, sitting beside her. 

"Hitomi, I'm sorry." he said, gently taking her hand. He raked his fingertips gingerly along the lines of her palm, tracing across her fingers to their tips. "I'm sorry I asked this so suddenly and spoke so angrily. It is just that I love you. I am finally happy with my life, for the first time in years. But I feel the happiest and most radiant when I am by your side. Despite what my kingdom wants, I would wait for you forever. You can go back to the Mystic Moon, and I do not care if it takes a day or a lifetime for you to return to me, but you are the only queen I would ever have. If nothing else, please accept this ring as a promise of that." He looked at her with pleading eyes. 

"I will accept it." said Hitomi. She allowed him to gently slide the ring on to her finger. It was a perfect fit. "I can't promise anything, but some day I would very much like to live here in Fanelia with you. It just depends...I guess it depends on how strong I can be." She wrapped her arm around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. For the longest time they watched the fountain without words, simply holding each other. The final tremors of the quake which had shaken their hearts slowly faded away in to the night. 

In those moments, Dryden's words made sense to Van and they echoed softly in his mind. _You're growing up fast, Van. Things will never be this innocent again._

***

Later that evening, Van and Hitomi returned to the celebration. The guests had thought nothing of their absence, figuring they had merely slipped away for some time alone with each other. Well, there had been one particularly astute guest who noticed the heaviness in Hitomi's eyes. When Hitomi slipped away from the crowd for a drink of water, Eries walked up behind her. 

"You look troubled." Eries stated. Her voice was aloof yet concerned in one, if such a thing was possible. Hitomi didn't know how to respond, but the princess was a mature and intelligent woman. Perhaps she would be able to offer some advice, or at the very least condolence. 

"Van proposed to me tonight." Hitomi answered in a quivering voice. 

"I see you accepted." said Eries, taking note of the ring on Hitomi's finger. She lifted Hitomi's hand to inspect it. "Hmm, that's really unique." she said, releasing the hand from her gentle grip. 

"Well, it's really that simple..." said Hitomi with a frown. "I am not ready to leave my world for good. Van said that he would wait for me forever, but it would seem unfair of me to expect that of him. It would seem unfair to leave him waiting for me while I make up my mind, but he won't have it any other way." 

Eries rested her hand upon Hitomi's shoulder and looked in to the girl's anxious eyes. The princess's dark blue eyes had a wisdom and knowingness to them which made the younger girl shiver. It was almost if Eries was looking straight in to her soul. She held her gaze unwaveringly as she spoke. 

"Hitomi, it may seem unfair, but it is actually the fairest thing in the world. Would it be fair if he insisted upon marriage now, and left you to wonder for your whole life what you left behind, how things could have been different had you declined?" 

"I suppose not." answered Hitomi thoughtfully. 

"If one devotes themselves completely and wholly to their own personal growth, then they are better-suited to commit to love when the time comes." said Eries. "This, I know from experience." She smiled a private smile and glanced to Allen, who was now actually attempting to make conversation with Dryden. Hitomi caught the flash of affection in her eyes when she looked at the Caeli knight, and suddenly understood why Allen looked so uncharacteristically serene. "Sometimes it takes years, but it all falls in to place eventually." 

Hitomi carried Eries' wisdom with her when she returned to the Mystic Moon. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

**AN:** I know there is some debate about Van's birthday - whether it is in April or December. I chose April for this fic simply because it was a better fit with the timeline I had in mind. 

A lot of reviewers suggested that I vary my tenses in this chapter a little more. Looking back over it, I can see why they said that. I tried to fix that and make it flow a little better, though a lot of this chapter is musing on the past. I hope it works out. 

Another small change here was that I grew a realistic concept of time. In the original version of the prologue, Fanelia had been completely reconstructed in one year. How likely is that? I can be a ditz sometimes. 

This fic has a prequel, "It's All To Make Us Shine" - located at http://www.opalwings.com/escaflowne/shine.html - which gives a basic overview of the situation between Hitomi, her post-Gaea life on Earth and her ongoing relationship with Van. "Shine" also has a one-shot companion entitled "Fire and Feline", about the birth of the friendship between Merle and Celena. This fic can be understood without reading either of them, but if you want some background to my personal vision of Escaflowne, they are worth checking out. 

**Song Quote:** From "This Side of Me" by Savage Garden. I have peppered the revised chapters with song quotes where I feel they were fitting. 

**Site Plug:** http://www.opalwings.com/escaflowne


	2. Changing Orbit

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
**Beneath Two Moons  
2. Changing Orbit**  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
By Jessica Lynn S. (escaflowne@opalwings.com)  
~*~ 

**Spoilers:** The entire Escaflowne series. 

**Warnings:** Sensuality, _shoujo-ai_ (romance between two female characters), and a bit of violence. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. No profit is being made from my silly fanfiction hobby. ^_^ I do, however, own this fic and the original characters in contains. Please do not post this story anywhere without asking first. 

**Summary:** Four years following the prologue, Hitomi - now a college student - finally makes her decision. All that's left is to say goodbye. How will her friends take the news? How will her _mother_ take it? What is a certain pink-haired cat-girl up to in Fanelia? 

**Notes on the Revision:** One of the biggest gripes people had with this chapter was that Mrs. Kanzaki was too okay with the idea of her daughter going, permanently, to another planet. I agree with them wholeheartedly; I did make it too easy. I'm used to writing interaction between friends and lovers, not mothers and daughters. I myself don't have normal parental interactions, to boot. But I really hope I made it better and more realistic this time. The added conflict extended this chapter by over a thousand words. I hope nobody minds that! ^_^ 

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

***  
_"Somewhere in a private place,  
She packs her bags for outer space"_  
***

A girl with long black hair stood at an easel in a small, stuffy dorm room. Her paintbrush was poised gracefully as she chatted happily with her reluctant model. "There is supposed to be snow tonight," the girl said, "but my parents are coming to pick me up anyway. I told them that they should wait a day to be safe, one day won't make any difference...but they already planned a big dinner. Over the vacation, they're going to take me to the art museum. What are you going to do when you get home?" 

Hitomi blinked twice at the question. "Well, I suppose I am just going to relax...and spend time with people that I care about." she said. "Nothing very exciting." If her roommate only knew. 

Jeanne, the black-haired girl, cocked her head thoughtfully. "You know, Hitomi..." she said, "I have the strangest feeling. I have a feeling you aren't going to come back for the next semester. I have a feeling that this will be the last time I paint you." 

Hitomi tried not to look surprised, because that would change her expression and ruin Jeanne's painting. But there was truth in the girl's words; perhaps it was artists' intuition. "I am sure you can find yourself a better model." she finally answered. 

"You are beautiful," said Jeanne, "but you fidget too much. You shouldn't be so self-conscious." She fell silent for a moment, softly brushing the final details on to her canvas, then she looked back up at Hitomi. "There is just something in your eyes." she observed. "Something that is not of this world. Something that shouldn't be kept caged here." 

***

It had been a long and fierce winter. March had come without a fanfare and the ground was frosted in an unmarred layer of virgin snow. The air carried a sharp chill which penetrated through layers of clothing and skin to Yukari's bones. She snuggled in to Amano's arm in attempt to steal his body heat. He took his long coat off and tossed it over her shoulders. 

"Amano!" she protested, "You can't be without a coat in this weather!" 

He shivered and wrapped his arms around his body to shield himself from the cold, but his voice remained calm and collected. "It is imperative that you stay warm, for your sake and the sake of the baby." He was right. Yukari conceded and slid her arms in to the too-big coat sleeves, feeling much like a little girl wearing her daddy's shirt. Amano smirked at the sight and embraced her lovingly, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. 

Much had changed in a few short years. After his high school graduation, Amano had been granted a respectable and well-paying position in his father's business. By the time Yukari's graduation came about two years later, he had made a substantial amount of money and was confident in his ability to provide for her. He proposed to her and they wed only months later. They rented a modest but comfortable apartment with a beautiful view of the city, and they wasted precious little time in the creation of a family. Their first child was due in the summer, as evident in the gentle swell of Yukari's waistline. 

As Yukari and Amano settled comfortably in to the mold of domestic life, Hitomi had gone away to her first year at a remote countryside college. The year had been a shaky one for her. She approached her studies with a greater seriousness than she had in high school, but she was still uncertain of her future. She had expressed that uncertainty to Yukari in the many phone calls and letters they had exchanged since her departure. 

Hitomi always said that Yukari was the one who should have gone on to college, as her friend had the intelligence and the motivation to really make something of the experience. Hitomi, on the other hand, was just biding her time. She really didn't have to continue her education, and if she chose not to she wouldn't have to work to support herself either. There was always another option which went without speaking. She just wanted to be sure that she was truly ready before she committed herself to that option. 

Yukari looked up as the roar and screech of tires invaded her ears. The bus which they had been waiting for had finally arrived, over an hour behind schedule. The snow had delayed its route considerably. The passengers exited on to the sidewalk. The last person to step off was Hitomi. The wind violently whipped her short hair out straight in front of her. For a few years she had allowed it to grow, reaching past her shoulders, but when she left for college she cropped it like it had been in her youth. It was more convenient for her that way, and she and Yukari agreed that short hair was just better-suited to her. 

Hitomi had a mature and regal air about her now; dressed in a long, chocolate-brown coat and black dress pants. She carried herself differently too. Though she was still pale and slender as she had been in high school, it was almost as if they were looking at a different person, but as she struggled helplessly and clumsily with her suitcases, it was evident that she was still the same Hitomi whom Yukari and Amano had grown up with. 

"Hitomi!" shouted Yukari with glee, running to embrace her friend. Amano joined in the hug and offered to carry Hitomi's bags. She accepted gratefully. She was tired from her long bus ride, visibly evident in dark circles beneath her eyes. Her skin was rosy and chilled from the cold 

"Goodness, you're freezing!" exclaimed Yukari, placing the palm of her hand on Hitomi's cheek to confirm her words. "Let's go get some hot chocolate!" Hitomi smiled and locked her arm in to Yukari's. The two marched briskly to the cafe down the street as Amano trailed several yards behind them, shivering while lugging Hitomi's two heavy suitcases. He quietly mumbled obscenities to whatever god was responsible for the weather. 

The passing of moments found the three friends in the warm, brightly lit cafe catching up on things. Amano had just finished relating a story to Hitomi and his wife about a particularly interesting client of his, and a comfortable silence had settled upon them all. Hitomi fanned the steam coming from her mug, waiting for her drink to cool. She looked across the table at Yukari. "How is the baby?" she asked. 

"Doing well so far." Yukari smiled proudly. 

"Have you decided on any names yet?" Hitomi inquired. 

"Well, I am thinking of Natsuko if it's a girl, or Ichiro if it's a boy..." Yukari's words trailed off as she caught a glimpse of the faraway look in Hitomi's eyes. Her friend's green irises gleamed with a sad and unusual sort of thoughtfulness. 

"Hitomi, is something wrong?" Yukari asked. 

Hitomi looked as if she had been snapped out of a daydream. She took Yukari's hand in hers and smiled at her and with a warm sincerity. "Yukari, Amano...I hope that you have a beautiful and healthy child." 

"You are talking as if..." Yukari said, then paused, realizing the answer before she even asked the question, "...you are going to leave. You are going back to Gaea, aren't you? "Amano simply listened; his expression unreadable. 

Hitomi had told Yukari of Van's proposal nearly three years ago. She told Yukari that she intended to take him up on it one day, when she found the strength and the will to leave Earth behind. Yukari had understood. Hitomi loved Van, and for that they deserved to be together. Hitomi loved Gaea and Fanelia as well. She would be happy there, and she would make a wise and gentle queen. 

In the years since Hitomi had first returned from Gaea, she and Yukari had become closer friends than ever. The lines of communication had been opened between them, bringing to light feelings which had been previously buried. Yukari had always kept her emotions in check for Hitomi's benefit, including her love for Amano. But in Hitomi's absence she had found herself seeking comfort in his arms. The close physical proximity brought her latent feelings to the surface, and Amano clearly reciprocated them. By the time Hitomi returned, the two were an official couple. Yukari felt horrendously guilty for taking what she thought was rightfully her friend's, until Hitomi told her that there was no need to feel bad. 

From there, Hitomi slowly opened up about the world she had discovered, and her on love for Van. Amano caught on to it as well, but he never knew as much of the story as Yukari did. The three friends had spent many afternoons after school at the ice cream parlor, talking over milkshakes and sodas. Together they faced track competitions, final exams and graduation. Hitomi had taken off a day from college to serve as maid of honor in Yukari 's wedding. Hitomi had also been the first person to know of Yukari's pregnancy. 

Yukari had called her while Amano was still at work, crying tears of joy. After the accident which had nearly killed her years ago and the resulting internal injuries, Yukari hadn't known if she would be able to have children. For her entire life she had dreamed of becoming a mother, and she was overwhelmed with happiness. But now that a new light was coming in to Yukari's life, an old light which had been a guiding beacon was leaving. She had only wished Hitomi would have stayed longer, but she knew the time they'd had together was already greater than it could have been. Hitomi needed to be happy more than Yukari needed Hitomi. 

Hitomi nodded hesitantly, confirming Yukari's suspicions. "It's time for me to go back." she said. "I know that now I belong there. I belong with Van." 

"You will be a queen then." Yukari smiled sadly. "You will be a wonderful queen. But I will miss you, Hitomi." A few tears fell from Yukari's eyes, smudging her mascara. She quickly wiped them away with her napkin. 

"Hey, Yukari?" said Hitomi with gentle concern in her eyes, "You know that I've traveled back and forth from Gaea to Earth." Yukari nodded. 

"Well," Hitomi responded, "it will be the same way when I am in Gaea, except sort of reversed. I will still come here to visit. It's not as if you will never see me again. It will be like it was while I was away at college." 

"While you were at college" said Yukari, "I could always call you when I needed to talk. I doubt there are phone lines which reach to Gaea." 

"No..." said Hitomi. "But there are heart lines. There is something I want you to have." She reached in to the collar of her coat, producing the necklace which she always wore beneath her clothes. It was a single white feather on a braided cord of black leather, accented by deep red beads. It was the same necklace Yukari had helped her make three years ago. 

"I can't accept that!" said Yukari, turning her head away. 

"You can, and you will." said Hitomi. "Any time that you want to talk to me, all you have to do is hold this necklace and picture me in your mind. I think that I will be able to hear you." 

More tears formed in Yukari's eyes as Hitomi pressed the necklace gently in to the palm of her hand. "Will you come to see the baby?" she asked. 

"Of course I will." said Hitomi. 

Yukari smiled a smile of relief. Hitomi was relieved, too. Her friends took the news better than she had expected. As the sun went down behind the sky's cloudy veil, the three reminisced their past together and talked of the exciting new futures which lay ahead. 

***

Hitomi sighed and inhaled deeply, taking in the aroma of the strawberry bubbles which she was neck-deep in. After her long ride on a bus where the seats were frozen stiff, the warm bath felt like heaven. After their conversation in the cafe, Yukari and Amano walked her home. There, on the street outside her house, she had bid her dearest friends farewell and they wished her a safe trip to Gaea. Before they left, Amano snapped two Polaroid photos of she and Yukari together. He gave one of them to Hitomi, so that when she went to Gaea, she would always have a reminder of her best friend. She was to leave first-thing in the morning, providing that she could muster the courage to tell her mother of her intentions. 

Hitomi and Van had spent their seventeenth and eighteenth birthdays together, as well as Hitomi's nineteenth, and the ceremony to commemorate the completion of Fanelia's reconstruction. (Van's nineteenth had yet to come.) On those days they would walk and talk together as if nothing had changed. They would mull over every single aspect of their lives with enthusiasm, except for the ring which she wore in a silent understanding. Van never dared to broach that subject, remembering all the hurt and discomfort it had caused between them when he first proposed. 

Over the years, Hitomi had gradually adjusted to the idea of living on Gaea. In a way, being away at college was more alien to her than the far-off planet. She had a roommate; a chipper art student named Jeanne who was always up first-thing in the morning making coffee and humming an upbeat tune. Jeanne liked to use Hitomi as a model for her many assignments. She would sketch her face in pastel as she talked up a storm, updating Hitomi on all the goings-on of the campus. As friendly and agreeable as the girl she lived with was, they had nothing in common. Jeanne approached her art with a passion, while Hitomi waded half-heartedly through class after class on business management. 

She spent many late, lonely nights in the top bunk of a bed staring at the ceiling and longing for the familiar warmth that was Van. She tried to hide her doubt and uncertainty when she spoke to him with her mind, talking instead of her assignments and her grades. Sometimes he would catch a small sliver of her confusion, and sometimes she would catch a small sliver of worry from him in response. Sometimes they understood each other so much that words were not needed. 

When Amano and Yukari married, Hitomi felt her ties to the Earth breaking, and when Yukari announced her pregnancy it felt as if the final threads had been snipped. Her two best friends had settled happily in to the nook in which they belonged. They were living the life that they had dreamed of in high school, and they were doing it together. Things were falling in to place with her family as well. Her brother was to graduate high school in a year, and had ambitious plans for a career in technology. Her parents were planning to retire and buy a house in the country. She felt increasingly as if she was an odd, solitary puzzle piece which just no longer fit. She belonged in an entirely different puzzle. 

Hitomi hadn't told Van of her plans to return to Gaea. On her last night at college, as she packed her bags, they had one of their regular telepathic conversations. 

"I am going home for my break." she had told him with a mischievous smirk. He must have sensed her amusement. 

_Is something funny?_ he asked in confusion. 

"No...nothing at all." she assured him, but she sensed him becoming strangely nervous. The elation of her newfound certainty and her upcoming journey ate away at the corners of her mind; she was awful at keeping secrets. She really wished she could tell Van, but she forced herself to keep a lid on it. She wanted to surprise him. Just imagining the look he would have on his face when she told him that she was finally in his world to stay caused her to smile so hard that it hurt. 

Jeanne had realized that something was amiss that night when she'd painted Hitomi. Hitomi had hugged her roommate then and thanked her for her friendship and the warm cups of coffee. She wished her success in her art and in life. 

Now there was only one more end to tie up; but it would be by far the most difficult. Hitomi was the first Kanzaki woman to go the college; a decision which had made her mother incredibly proud. Hitomi wasn't expecting her to take the news very well. 

***

She slipped out of the tub and pulled on a fuzzy white robe, then padded softly towards the kitchen. Her heart pounded in her throat. She and her mother had always shared a close relationship. They cooked together, shopped together, and laughed together frequently. Mrs. Kanzaki knew about Gaea; Hitomi hadn't needed to hide it from her. Her mother had grown up hearing stories of the strange and beautiful world from her own mother, and was eager to hear all about Hitomi's adventures upon her return. Hitomi had told her the basics of the time she spent there, leaving out a few minor details -- Allen and Van, or more specifically, the relationships she'd had with them. 

She didn't know why she was so secretive about the knight she had been infatuated with or the king with whom she eventually fell deeply in love. It was perhaps a combination of modesty, embarrassment and the notion that no one would really understand. She'd even tried to hide it from her best friend at first. Yukari wouldn't let Hitomi keep it entirely to herself, though. She continually pressed her for details and Hitomi eventually caved, telling Yukari everything. Yukari repaid her for her honesty with acceptance and understanding. But Yukari was young, romantic and idealistic, much like herself. Her mother was a more practical person who would have likely been troubled by it. Actually, she was certain she would have. She would have tried to dissuade Hitomi from continuing her very long-distance relationship with Van under the premise that it was not psychologically or emotionally healthy for her. 

Hitomi and Mrs. Kanzaki had a lot of love and respect for one another, but Mrs. Kanzaki's expectations for her daughter were also very high. She always wanted her to do her absolute best in school, in track and in life. She often warned Hitomi of becoming too serious with someone while she was still in school. "Look what happened to Yukari." she'd say. "She was a really smart girl, just like you. She could have gone to college. She could have gotten a degree." She didn't want to have to choose between her mother's peace of mind and her own, because that choice would have been an unbearable one. She couldn't bare the feeling that she had disappointed or upset her mother on the rare occasion that she did. 

But now she had to choose, and she had chosen. Now she had to put her foot down and give her mother the biggest shock of her life. There was no way she could go off to Gaea again without an explanation. It wouldn't be fair. It was simply was not an option. She had to do this. 

Besides Hitomi, Mrs. Kanzaki was the only one awake in the house. She was sitting at the table with her reading glasses balanced across the bridge of her nose, writing by the dim light of a lantern. 

"Mother, what is that you are writing?" asked Hitomi quietly. 

"I'm writing the check to pay for your next semester of college." she answered matter-of-factly. "We also have to renew your insurance plan...all these forms." She sighed. Hitomi felt a pang of guilt and gulped hard. "Is there something you want to talk about?" Mrs. Kanzaki asked, sensing her daughter's unease. 

"Actually mom, yes there is." Hitomi forced herself to say. She sat down in the chair across from her mother and looked her in the eye. "I am not going back to college." 

"Why?" Mrs. Kanzaki asked her, alarmed. "Aren't you happy there? Is it too hard? We could always find you another college, maybe something closer to home?" 

"No, mom." Hitomi said. "That's not what it is. I like college well enough, and I appreciate you and father paying for it. But...do you remember when I went to Gaea?" They hadn't actually spoken on the subject for years. 

"Yes." said her mother. "Just like your grandmother had when she was young. It seems to be some sort of family tradition which has skipped over me." She smiled. "But you needn't worry about that, I've always understood. Forces were at work which were beyond your control. It was in the past, and you have a bright future ahead of you." 

"Well, I met a boy there." said Hitomi. 

"Ahh, that would account for your...other disappearances." said Mrs. Kanzaki in a slightly scolding tone. Hitomi fidgeted. She had thought that her mother hadn't noticed those few occasions when she'd gone to Fanelia for a day. "Hitomi, you aren't....ehh...pregnant, are you?" 

"Heavens no!" Hitomi exclaimed. Mrs. Kanzaki breathed a sigh of relief. 

"I want to go to Gaea and be with him, though." Hitomi said. "I want to make a life by his side." She braced herself for the inevitable backlash. 

"Hitomi, you can't be serious." said Mrs. Kanzaki, disbelievingly. 

"I'm sorry, but I am." 

"How can you say that, Hitomi?! I don't know all of what happened there, I don't know this boy, but I don't think you're thinking straight. You're making a very impetuous decision that will do you no good." 

"It's not impetuous. I've been thinking about it for three years, mom. Do you see this ring?" She indicated to the ring that Van had given her three years ago. Since then, it had only ever left her finger for cleaning. But if Mrs. Kanzaki had noticed the ring, it hadn't seemed out of the ordinary to her. She probably assumed it was something Hitomi had gotten as a gift from one of her friends or relatives. 

"It's an engagement ring." Hitomi asserted. "Van proposed to me when we were sixteen." 

Mrs. Kanzaki sat in silence for a long time, considering what her daughter had said. Hitomi nervously examined her shadowy face for some sign of emotion. "I can't believe this..." she said, shaking her head. "I never thought..." 

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you mom, but I didn't want to worry you. Not until I knew for sure what I was going to do." 

Mrs. Kanzaki gave a harsh, scalding laugh. "Yeah, I'm running off to some other world for the rest of my life, but don't worry, mom! Everything will be okay! Why can't you just find a nice boy here. Hitomi? There are thousands of fish in the sea. Your grandma went to that same world, but she came back and made a life for herself here. She had her little fantasy adventure, but she didn't forget reality." 

_Yeah, because Leon Schezar died!_ Hitomi thought to herself, biting down on her tongue as not to speak angrily. Her blood was beginning to boil. Her mother didn't know Van, and she didn't know exactly how much Hitomi loved him. She had no right to try to tell Hitomi what was right for her. But could she expect any other reaction? The news would be enough to rattle anyone. 

"Think about reality, Hitomi." said Mrs. Kanzaki. "Think long and hard about it! This boy may love you just as much as you love him, but have you really spent all that much time together? How do you know that things will work out between you? Are you willing to give up everything you have here on that kind of gamble?! Good friends, a promising future, a family that loves you? How do you know that Van - that was his name, wasn't it? - can even provide for you?" 

"Van is a king, mother." Hitomi said coldly. Mrs. Kanzaki's jaw nearly hit the floor. "He wants me to be the Queen of Fanelia. It's been rebuilt since the war. Did I ever tell you that I helped to win that war? Van and I did that together. I wasn't just a spectator." The older woman was speechless, and Hitomi felt instantly remorseful for speaking so harshly. 

"Hitomi," Mrs. Kanzaki said, after several moments of silence, "I always thought we were close, but in some ways I realize exactly how little I know about you. I didn't worry too much when you went away to that place, because I knew you'd come back. I thought you'd be back to stay." She lowered her eyes to the ground, her face masked in sadness, but she continued. "I guess I would be doing you a disservice if I asked you to stay. It seems that you have already made up your mind." 

"Mother?" 

Mrs. Kanzaki took off her reading glasses, set them folded on the table and shuffled quickly out of the room, not even bothering to clean up the haphazard jumble of papers she had been laboring over. Hitomi shivered and a trickle of tears made its way down her cheek. She wiped them away and went to bed. She didn't sleep well that night. 

***

Hitomi rose with the sun the next day and began to pack her things. Her heart was heavy with sorrow where it should have been light with joy and anticipation. Hitomi hated conflict. She did not want to leave on bad terms with her mother, but she didn't see any way she could fix the things ruptured by angry words, at least not right now. She had to go; she had to prove that she was making the right decision, both to herself and to her mother. She would come back to visit, bringing exotic gifts for her entire family and stories of what it was like to be a queen. Her mother would see that she had worried needlessly, and things between them would go back to being all right. It would all be all right, in the end. 

She stuffed a few changes of neatly-rolled clothes in to her duffel bag. She could not bring an entire closet to Gaea; she'd have to purchase a lot of new clothes in Fanelia. She also slipped in the photo of herself and Yukari from yesterday. She took off her nightgown and pulled on her favorite pair of jeans, a pale green t-shirt that hugged her curves and a light gray sweater-jacket. Then she took a notepad off of her dresser and perched cross-legged on the edge of her bed, pen poised to write. 

_Dear Mother,_ she scribbled hastily, 

_ It is with deepest regret that I leave after what happened last night, but you were right. I've already made up my mind. I'm sorry that it's like this, I just..._

She was stopped mid-sentence by a knock on the door. 

"Hello?" she asked uncertainly. 

"Hitomi, it's me." said Mrs. Kanzaki's voice. "Can I come in?" 

"All right." said Hitomi, nervously. Her mother opened the door and entered meekly, shoulders slumped. The older woman's clothes and hair were rumpled and she had dark circles beneath her bloodshot, downcast eyes. Hitomi quickly tucked the note in to her pocket. Mrs. Kanzaki sat down next to Hitomi, both women staring in opposite directions. It felt like Hitomi's heart was being torn from her chest by sharp hooks of guilt. Why did following your dreams have to be this hard? She wasn't going to back down, but she at least owed her mother an apology. Her features tightened and contorted as she reached for the strength to say the words, yet not back down from what she believed in. 

"I'm sorry." both women blurted out simultaneously. Her mother gave a surprised laugh as they turned to face each other, then hugged Hitomi tightly, practically squeezing the wind out of her. 

"I didn't sleep well last night." the older woman said. "I did a lot of thinking." 

"So did I," said Hitomi. "I haven't changed my mind about leaving, but...I'm sorry that I wasn't fair to you. I understand how you feel, and I'm going to miss you a lot." 

Her words prompted her mother to squeeze tighter. Mrs. Kanzaki sniffled. "Oh, Hitomi...you're grown up now. Even if you want to do something that's so damned crazy, it's not my place to tell you not to. I know that your grandmother would have supported this decision, and she'd be really proud of you for having the courage to go through with it. As for me, well, I still don't like that you're leaving. I'll never like it. But if I have to let you go, I'd rather our goodbye be a happy one than an angry one." 

Hitomi buried her face in her mother's shoulder and sobbed, tears of joy, relief and regret. "Thank you." she said. "Thank you so much." When they finally released their embrace upon one another, her mother looked in to her eyes. 

"I need to say this, though; I want you to know that if things don't work out, you can always come home. It is easy to love someone...when you seldom see them. It can be a bit more difficult in the context of day-to-day life." Mrs. Kanzaki admonished. 

Hitomi had heard the story many times; her mother had met her father when he was in the military. He was often stationed far from home and the only thing they had was their correspondence. When he was finished with his duties, they married quickly, only to find that being together all the time took some serious adjusting to. They had preserved through it though, and were all the stronger for it. 

"I know." Hitomi said. "But things worked out for you and father, right?" She gave a hopeful smile. 

"Always stand your ground, too." Mrs. Kanzaki continued. "You may be on foreign soil; you may be in his world, but that doesn't mean he has any right to push you around. Always stand up for the things that you want and need." If Hitomi wouldn't stay on Earth, she could at least humor her mother by listening to her advice. 

Hitomi nodded. "You know I will come to visit you, right? I'll come home again after a few months and I'll stay for a week or so. We can pretend it's like college." She was using the same analogy she'd used with Yukari, but it seemed to have a calming effect on her mother. 

"Well, you better visit!" commanded Mrs. Kanzaki. "And you better try your absolute best to be a good queen. Now wipe those tears, we can't have you going back to Gaea with red, puffy eyes." Hitomi smiled weakly. "Oh, I almost forgot!" 

Mrs. Kanzaki walked briskly out of the room and returned with a bundle of tissue paper. She unwrapped it to reveal a beautiful silk wedding fursode which Hitomi instantly recognized as her grandmother's. It was an elaborate garden scene embroidered in green and fuchsia and gold on a background that faded from soft, pale blue to the perfect white of snowfall. The obi was the delicate pink of cherry blossoms, with trimmings in the same brilliant gold. "She'd want you to have this," Mrs. Kanzaki said, "to wear in the wedding." 

"Maybe there's some way you could come to the wedding." Hitomi said. "I'm sure it will be a big affair." 

"I don't think Gaea wants me to." said Mrs. Kanzaki. "Otherwise, I would have been taken there as you were. Interplanetary travel just doesn't set well with me, to be honest. Just having you come back to visit will be enough." 

Hitomi re-folded the fursode and tucked it away. The two women exchanged a look of understanding, and wordlessly, they rose from their seats. They walked out of Hitomi's room, down the hallway, through the kitchen, and out the front door. They embraced tightly one last time. 

"Mom...I love you. I'm going to miss you." Hitomi said, holding her mother tightly. 

"I love you and I'll miss you too." Mrs. Kanzaki said. 

Hitomi closed her eyes and willed the blue pillar to take her to her destination. The twin moons of her engagement ring began to glow. 

"Oh, and Hitomi? I believe in you." said Mrs. Kanzaki. That earned her the biggest, most heartfelt smile she had ever seen her daughter give as an almost blinding light overtook them and Hitomi was lifted in to the air as if gravity did not exist. 

Her mother could only stand in the column of light, looking up with tears in her eyes as her daughter was carried away to another world. 

~*~*~*~*~*~  
_"Got a ticket for a world where we belong"_  
~*~*~*~*~*~ 

An amber sunrise was just beginning to break through the darkness of the Fanelian horizon. Moths danced around the small lamp which burnt on the windowsill, enraptured by the flame. Their beating wings cast long, fluttering shadows across the walls. Van was taking his breakfast in his chambers with Merle, as he did nearly every morning. His royal accommodations were quite modest. The walls were wooden and the floors were stone. A large, canopy-style bed rested against the wall on one side of the room. 

On a shelf beside his bed was what Merle had teasingly labeled Van's "Hitomi Shrine." Resting upon it were the remote-controlled car (its batteries had long-since run out, though she had promised to bring more some day), the wooden dragon carving, and various other things she'd given him over the years. An empty heart-shaped box once filled with Valentines chocolates, a small stuffed purple dragon (dragons seemed to be a common theme), and a 8x10 inch framed copy of her senior portrait. Hitomi spoiled him to no end and he treasured every last thing she gave him. 

A small table with four chairs occupied the other side of the room. That was where they were currently seated. Van's feline companion wolfed down her meal eagerly, but he was predominately occupied with staring out the window. He had barely even touched his food. 

"Something feels different this morning, Merle." he said thoughtfully. "I just can't quite pinpoint what it is." 

"Hmm?" she asked, looking up at him. Her cheeks were stuffed with food and bulged out as if she were a hamster or a chipmunk. This normally would have sent Van in to peals of laughter, but now he didn't notice. 

"I wonder where Hitomi is right now." he said with a far-off look in his eyes. "I wonder what she is doing today." 

Merle swallowed the contents of her cheeks in a single, powerful gulp. "I think she is still in bed right now..." she offered in an overly sweet, sing-songy voice. 

"Could be." said Van. "She is probably tired from her trip home from school." 

"WITH ANOTHER MAN!" Merle added enthusiastically to her previous statement. "Then her trip wouldn't be the only reason she was tired." She smirked. Van's eyes went wide and Merle broke in to a fit of giggles. 

"Hey!" Van growled. "Oh, you're gonna get it, you little brat." He knew that Merle was only joking, but he still felt the irresistible urge to chuck a forkful of sticky, syrupy food in her direction. He didn't fight the impulse. It hit her smack-dab in the forehead. The humor faded from her eyes and for a moment she looked as if she had been possessed by the spirit of Dilandu. 

"I have to go wash now!" she muttered in anger. 

"Well, next time you'll know better than to question the integrity of the woman I love." Van responded with a taunting grin. 

She stuck out her tongue at him and scampered out of the room. That was Merle. He smiled, leaned back, and dug his fork in to his food. His earlier sense of unexplained anticipation had already slipped from his mind. Merle was still playful, childish and chock-full of attitude. But she had grown up a lot in other ways. 

Only a year after the war, the cat-girl had taken an active interest in the political matters of her country. She became a member of the Fanelian council, and an advocate for the children who had lost their homes and families in Zaibach's attack. She had traded in her short-dresses for more-respectable garments and had become a fairly accomplished public speaker, except for her tendency to revert to huffing and childish name-calling whenever she came up against opposition. Van was trying to break her of that habit, but it didn't seem to be doing much good. Some things never changed. 

Despite her occasionally faulty approaches, Merle had successfully gotten dozens of children who had been left with nowhere to go out of shelters and in to homes with families who could properly care for them. She had spent much of her spare time over the years counseling those same children. Her version of counseling usually involved a lot of running around and giggling, but it seemed to work wonders for the kids. She had gotten some of the older children in to apprenticeships where they could learn a trade that interested them, and employed others at the palace. Half the cooks and maids that worked for Van - and even some of the guards - were orphans of the war. Merle made a definite name for herself and became well-known and loved throughout the capitol. 

With her good looks, she was also highly sought after by many young men. Her hair had grown out in long, thick, pink tendrils that fell to her waist, and she had developed a mature and regal physique which would have rivaled Nariya and Eriya. She always turned down her would-be suitors, but on good days she took amusement in toying with them as if they were mice. She went often to Asturia, visiting the palace or the Schezar estate, as she had remained good friends with Celena and Millernia. 

Van finished his food. He picked up the empty plates from his floor and took them to the kitchen to be washed. He then proceeded to go for a stroll and see what was happening on the castle grounds. He had grown too. His shoulders became broader and his muscles were more defined. His physique had been obtained by working hard in the reconstruction of his country and was maintained in the aggressive sparring matches which still took place whenever Allen visited. Van was taller as well, but he would never be quite as tall as Folken had. He had a build more like that of his father. 

***

A tall and slender guard leaned against the castle wall. He blew a long strand of brown hair from his eyes and boredly swung his sword in large, sweeping circles. He quickly returned it to its sheath and straightened his posture when he saw Van walking towards him. 

"Good morning Direedus." said the king with a good-natured smile, "How are things today?" 

Direedus bowed gracefully and sighed. "Just as they always are." he answered. "Perhaps we should have a tournament?" he suggested. "It would keep things around here interesting." 

"I'll consider it." said Van. "I've been in need of some excitement myself, and it would give you and the others an opportunity to show off your skill." 

Gaea had settled in to a state of peace since Fanelia's reconstruction. Hatchets had been buried and treaties had been forged. Another war did not seem imminent, and it was the last thing Van would ever hope for. But war was part of human nature and he was wise to be prepared just in case. Almost all of the older, most-capable fighters had been wiped out in the past war and a new generation had to be trained in the art of battle. Van did not take on much of this responsibility himself. Most of the new charges were sent to Asturia to learn the ways of sword and guymelef. 

Compared to their predecessors, these soldiers' jobs were fairly mild. Some guarded the palace and the capitol, others were posted in the few other cities that the small kingdom possessed. Their biggest challenges were fighting against small bands of thieves and criminals; not the invisible and deadly opponents of Fanelia's past. 

"Good day, 'Reed." Van said, and continued along his path. 

Direedus hoped that a replacement would come soon to relieve him of his post, or that at least someone else would come by to talk to him and keep him awake. His eyelids were heavy from a long night. He looked up, watching a flock of white birds make their way across the pale blue morning sky. Suddenly there was a flash of much brighter, more intense blue. It sprung like a fountain from the heavens, touching the distant mountains for an instant before fading away. It could have been a hallucination induced by lack of sleep, but Direedus was no longer tired. His eyes were wide-open with amazement. 

He wanted to alert the king, but Van was already a good distance away from him. Before he could go running after him, Merle came walking along. He stepped in to her path and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her impetuously. 

"Merle, did you see that?!" he asked with a mixture of excitement and fear. 

"See what?" She stared at him with a rather sour expression on her face. She had just scampered away from a quarrel with a handmaiden who had dared to question her authority, and she was feeling irritable. 

"There was a pillar of light! Over there!" he pointed. "It's gone now." he frowned. 

Merle's expression brightened instantly. "A pillar of light, eh?" she mused. "Was it blue?" 

"Why yes. I was going to inform the king; we should let him know immediately." said Direedus. 

"No." Merle commanded. "Don't tell him." 

"Why not?" demanded Direedus. "It could be an enemy attack!" 

"Relax, I know what it is." Merle said. She grinned in a way that was devilishly feline and repeated herself. "Do not tell Van-sama. I plan to have a bit of fun, and I will take all the responsibility for it. Where did you say the light came from again?" 

Direedus hesitantly pointed in its direction. 

"Ready a horse for me." Merle said. 

"As you wish, my lady." answered Direedus. Under his breath, he cursed the cat-girl for being so charming. He had a fierce loyalty to his king, but this was Merle. What man in their right mind would disobey such a beautiful and spirited young woman? 

***  
_"Send a signal that she's  
hanging all her hopes on the stars"_  
***

  


~*~*~*~*~*~ 

**AN:** One of the biggest gripes people had with this chapter originally was that Mrs. Kanzaki was too okay with the idea of her daughter going, permanently, to another planet. I agree with them wholeheartedly; I did make it too easy. I'm used to writing interaction between friends and lovers, not mothers and daughters. I myself don't have normal parental interactions, to boot. But I really hope I made it better and more realistic this time. 

A fursode is a kind of kimono, often worn for Japanese weddings (though not so much in modern days, as our Western-style wedding dresses have become increasingly popular.) It has long sleeves that trail to the ground. I am far from an expert on Japanese clothing (or any kind of clothing, for that matter.) I don't know what kind of colors and patterns are commonplace for wedding fursodes, so I took some liberties with the description. 

**Song Quotes:** All from "To the Moon and Back" by Savage Garden. 

**Site Plug:** http://www.opalwings.com/escaflowne


	3. Ripples Beneath the Surface

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
**Beneath Two Moons  
3. Ripples Beneath the Surface**  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
By Jessica Lynn S. (escaflowne@opalwings.com)  
~*~ 

**Spoilers:** The entire Escaflowne series. 

**Warnings:** Sensuality, _shoujo-ai_ (romance between two female characters), and a bit of violence. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. No profit is being made from my silly fanfiction hobby. ^_^ I do, however, own this fic and the original characters in contains. Please do not post this story anywhere without asking first. 

**Summary:** Hitomi and Van share a joyful reunion in Fanelia, but confusion arises in Hitomi's mind after a haphazard sexual advance by Van. Merle reflects ruefully on her own love life - or lack thereof - and unknown enimies meet beneath the cover of blackness. 

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Van leaned on the wooden table, once again seemingly oblivious to the presence of his food. "You know, Merle...I could have sworn I saw a blue light today as I was walking outside." he said, looking at his feline companion. "It was in my peripheral vision, but as soon as I turned my head it was gone. You know what kind of blue light I am talking about; the kind that brings Hitomi here." 

Merle folded back one pointy ear, quizzically. "Did anyone else see anything?" she inquired. 

"No." Van responded. "I asked 'Reed, who was on guard duty, but he said that nothing was out of the ordinary." It had been tormenting him, gnawing away on the edges of his mind, for the entire morning, but there was absolutely no reason Hitomi would have decided to come to Gaea. Her visits were always planned, and he always went to the Mystic Moon to retrieve her, since he was the one who wielded the energist pendant now. Maybe she would come if something terrible happened, but if something terrible happened, he would know. After Yukari's accident; he had felt Hitomi's pain and turmoil clear as daylight through the link between them. 

Merle put her hand to his forehead as if to check for a fever. "Hmm, no warmer than normal." she said. "Poor little lovesick Van's imagination is playing tricks on him." Her smile was chiding; condescending. The cat girl suppressed a giggle as a figure cloaked in a blanket peeked around the room's doorway. 

The little form had the blanket pulled over its face, hiding everything except for a pair of big, sea green eyes. It scampered across the room on its knees and crawled underneath the table where Van and Merle were sitting. 

Great minds did - sometimes, occasionally - think alike, thought Merle with a smile. She had rode out to meet Hitomi when the pillar dropped her in the woods, and Hitomi was just as in to the idea of surprising - and quite possibly, scaring the bejeezus out of - Van as Merle was. Neither was quite sure how to go about it though, they were making things up as they went along. 

Hitomi was currently face-to-face with Van's knees. She sat silent and motionless, continuing to listen to the conversation. 

"You're right." Van answered with a defeated sigh. "I'm deluding myself. I suppose that I just miss Hitomi." 

"You know, I wasn't entirely joking this morning, Van-sama." said Merle. She folded her arms and leaned towards Van, locking him in eye contact and suddenly looking rather concerned. "You have pulled off this long-distance arrangement for a long time, and I commend you for it. But it can't be healthy. After all these years it should be obvious that Hitomi has no intention of coming here to take you up on your proposal. She very-well could have found another man on the Mystic Moon. You wouldn't even know about it." 

_Ooh, milk it for all it's worth!_ Hitomi thought, covering her mouth to repress a giggle. Van frowned as he felt the heat of anger churning and rising within him. He didn't understand; Merle may not have liked Hitomi when they first met, but she had definitely grown on the cat-girl. Over the past few years, Merle had always looked forward to Hitomi's visits and inquired about her on a weekly basis. Why would she suddenly be so adamant that he should move on? He bit his tongue for a moment to keep from shouting or speaking unkindly until he composed himself. 

"I would know about it, Merle. I have faith in Hitomi." he finally said. He paused then, a puzzled expression overtaking his features. "But...I never told you that I proposed to her. How did you know that?" Merle just laughed, giving no response. Hitomi smiled a private smile. 

"Something really fishy is going on here today." said Van. "And when I find out what it is, I am probably not going to be pleased." 

He scowled and Merle began to lecture him on the importance of getting a proper night's rest. An exposed sliver of skin between Van's pant leg and shoe caught Hitomi's eye. Carefully, she reached out from behind her blanket and ran a single fingertip lightly along the curve of his ankle. Van let out a shriek and jumped to his feet, dropping his fork. It hit the floor and bounced towards Hitomi. That was her cue to scamper. 

"EEEEEE! What was that??!" he demanded. 

No sooner had he shouted than Hitomi took off running out of the room, the blanket still hiding her face. 

"WHO is that?!" Van corrected himself. 

Before Merle could say anything, he sprinted off in pursuit of the unknown intruder. It was just as well, for Merle would be hard-pressed to insist that her king was hallucinating now. The cat-girl ran after Van, amused and anxious to see what would happen. Hitomi did not get very far before Van caught up with her. Though she had continued her running on Earth, her feet kept getting caught in the blanket. She stumbled as she felt his arm ensnare her waist and they both fell to the floor and she buried her face in her arms, pulling the blanket taut around her in order to hide her identity. 

"Who are you? What kind of trick is this?!" Van demanded, making a rather forceful attempt to rip the blanket away. Hitomi continued to struggle against him, trying to work her way out of his grip. This all was very funny to her, and she was unable to repress a small laugh. Van paused, stunned upon hearing the sound. He released his grip entirely. 

"Hitomi?" he asked in disbelief. 

There was no response. Instead, the cloaked figure began to inch slowly away from him like a worm. He leapt on top of her once again. 

"Hitomi?!" he said again, his voice more desperate this time. He still could not pull the blanket away from her, so instead he ran his hands down her sides, tickling her. He was going to feel like a total ass if it wasn't Hitomi. She shrieked and spasmed violently, trying to push him away. He was sure of her identity now, and beside himself with happiness. He'd gained the advantage he needed, and he managed to roll her - struggling and giggling - on to her back. He had to give her credit though, she was _strong_ for her size. 

It was then that she let go of the blanket and revealed her face to him. He pressed the tip of his nose against hers, staring intently in to her twinkling eyes. "How long did you intend to keep me in the dark about your presence here?" he asked with the stern and forceful air of a king, which was contradicted by how his lips curled upward in a playful and predatorial smirk. Before she could answer, he kissed her hard. She reached up to embrace him, their bodies pressing together tightly as their mouths interlocked. 

Breathless from their struggle, Van soon broke the kiss and collapsed in her arms, flushed and breathless. He rested his head aside of hers and he relaxed his muscles, melting against the soft and subtle curves of her body. The warmth of her skin and the smell of her hair intoxicated him, and he was overwhelmed with joy to be with her again. Merle decided to leave the two to themselves and pattered softly out of the foyer. She was happy to see them reunited. 

"It's really you." Van muttered happily in Hitomi's ear. 

"Mmhmm." she responded in a quiet voice. "But Van, you're laying on my chest. I can't really breathe..." 

"Oh." said Van. "I'm sorry." He sat up and gently shifted Hitomi in to his lap. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?" he asked her. She smiled coyly; giving no answer. 

"I haven't the energy to fight it out of you again, if that is what you intend." he said, brushing a wayward strand of hair from her eyes. 

"I missed you." she said, taking his hand in hers. She played absently with his fingertips. 

"That's all?" he asked. He wasn't buying it. 

"Well," said Hitomi, her expression changing from playful to serious, "you still want to get married, don't you?" She had not seen Van's cherry-bark eyes go so wide since the day Allen had told him of Fanelia's destruction. He smiled so hard that it must have caused him pain, and a few tears streamed down his cheeks as testimony to that. Hitomi nearly regretted telling him, for they could not marry if he were to die then and there of happiness. 

"Yes, Hitomi..." he muttered joyfully and repetitively as he began devouring her face and throat in a wild flurry of soft and grateful kisses. "Yes." She just leaned back and smiled, allowing herself to be supported by his arms and bask in the warm onslaught of affection. Hitomi and Van spent a good part of the afternoon there in the foyer; a limp heap of limbs on the floor, not unlike two sleepy kittens. The sun poured in through one strategically-placed window, gilding the cool gray stone in a warm golden shade. 

"What is a Fanelian wedding like?" asked Hitomi in curiosity. 

"Well..." said Van, "I would suppose there is a difference between a common wedding and a royal wedding. A royal wedding has knights and swords and the ceremonial armor. It fits me now." he laughed, thinking back to how silly he had looked at his coronation. 

"Married in armor?" Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't sound like much of a tribute to ever-lasting love." 

"Well," said Van, "Fanelia has faced many uncertain times. One could never be sure when an enemy would attack, and a man had to protect his bride. The war with Zaibach reaffirmed that sense of uncertainty. To this day, even in common weddings, the groom always keeps a sword close at hand." 

"What does the bride wear?" Hitomi questioned. 

"Well," said Van, "my mother wore a long white dress. It was elegant and simple. She had saved it, but it was destroyed in the fire, otherwise I would give it to you." 

"I brought my grandmother's fursode with me." Hitomi offered hesitantly. "I was hoping I could wear it...as a tribute to her." 

"Fursode?" Van asked. 

"It's a traditional sort of garment made of silk." she answered. "A lot of people in the country I am from wear a more Western-style wedding dress these days; that's what Yukari did. But they still married in kimono in my grandmother's time." 

Van nodded. "I think we should combine the traditions of our worlds and countries. You will bring a lot of valuable knowledge and culture from your world to Fanelia, after all. It will help her grow and evolve." 

"I hope so." said Hitomi, shifting uncertainly beneath the imaginary weight of her newfound responsibility. "We have plenty of time to prepare." 

"We have all the time in the world, now that you're here." Van smiled and kissed her forehead. "In the meantime, there is much for you to learn about the history of Gaea and my people. No," he corrected himself, "our people. Our people who are already deeply indebted to you for your courage during the war." 

***

Direedus climbed the stairs leading to the castle roof. He found Merle there, perched upon the edge of the wall. Van had told him that was probably where she would be. She was watching the sky transcend from the blue of day to a violet twilight, as the people below went about their business. Having missed the majority of both her breakfast and lunch, she gnawed savagely on a piece of smoked fish, carelessly crunching the small bones between her teeth. She could be as mannerly as anyone for royal feasts and banquets, but on her own, she always reverted back to her old feline habits. She heard Direedus's footsteps and turned to look at him. He had a bouquet of wildflowers in his hands. "Merle, I am sorry for my rashness this morning." he offered. "I didn't stop to realize that you looked angry when you were walking past. I didn't even bother asking how you were." 

"You can sit down." she said. Her eyes were lost in thought. He obeyed and handed her the bouquet. 

"These are very nice flowers." she said to him, bringing them to her face to smell them. 

"Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady." he said in response, as if on cue. 

"Direedus," Merle said, "You don't know how many times I have heard that line. I could build your expectations and drop you flat, but you're lucky that I am not in such a sadistic mood tonight. You are a very nice young man, but your advances are wasted." 

"Why is that?" he asked her, his blue eyes searching hers. "Is it the king?" 

He would have thought that Merle was Van's lover, except for the rumors about the king and a girl from the Mystic Moon. He had seen that girl once or twice at Van's birthday celebrations. Why the king would choose such a strange girl over a jewel like Merle was beyond him, but it had to be hard on her. Boldly and compassionately, he put his arm around her shoulder. "He is a fool to turn you down." 

"Ha." Merle said, with a cryptic smile. "No. It's not Van-sama. It would be a lie to say that I've never wanted him, but you have seen him with Hitomi. They are fine on their own, but when they're together they just seem to intensify...to shine. It was what they were together that enabled Zaibach's defeat. Do you think I would get in the way of such a thing?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"I suppose not." he answered. 

"It is me. I am just a childish cat girl, prone to infatuation and possessiveness. I don't think that I will ever know a deep, genuine sort of love like Hitomi and the king have." 

She had made no effort to move his arm, and he leaned tentatively on her shoulder. She smelled strongly of fish, but he didn't care. For the time being, he was satisfied with the privilege of watching the sun go down by her side. The time of night came upon them when most colors were no longer visible and the world was painted in shades of charcoal and indigo. 

"Direedus?" Merle asked him. 

"What?" he responded.. 

"Don't come up here again." she said. She adruptly turned and left the roof with a few twitches of her tail. Direedus didn't know what to say. 

***

Hitomi had forgotten to pack a nightgown, so she slipped on Van's old red shirt. It was too small for him now, but he had kept it around anyway because of sentimental value. In the tattered red threads were memories of blood and the heat of battle, but also of love and hope. It was from one of the best - and one of the worst - times of both his life and Hitomi's. After all these years, it still smelled like him. Sentimental or not though, the shirt wasn't quite long enough to cover everything which Hitomi desired to cover, so she pulled on a pair of white drawstring shorts that she fished out of her duffel to conceal her lower half. The next day she was to tour the town and visit the merchants with Merle. Later in the week her engagement to Van would be finally, officially announced after nearly three years. 

There was much to be done; but the day that was coming to a close had belonged entirely to her and Van. Politics and formalities could wait for later. The newly re-united lovers reminisced of their pasts and bantered like excited children of the wedding that they would have. They strolled through the castle and the garden as they always did when Hitomi came to Fanelia. Between lunch and dinner, they saw others only in passing. They ate a modest meal with the palace staff, though it would have been a feast if Van had known in advance that Hitomi was coming. 

That was okay with her; there had been a feast every time she came back to Fanelia and it was starting to get old. She rather enjoyed the more personal meal, and getting to know some of the people who worked for the king. 

After dinner, they walked along the outdoor pathway to the wing of the castle where they would sleep. Hitomi paused to look up at the night sky, ablaze with constellations. Van stood beside her and put his arm over her shoulder. He then reached up with his free hand, removed the pendant from around his neck and offered it up to her. "Now that you're back," he said, "I don't see any reason why you shouldn't have this again." 

"Well, thank you..." said Hitomi, looking at the familiar teardrop stone in Van's hand, "But I don't really need it. I don't see any reason why you can't keep it." 

"Well, I had it so I could remember you..." Van said. "So that I could talk to you, even when you were a world away. You said it was a good luck charm, right? Well, I have all the good luck I need right here." He touched his index finger to the tip of her nose. Reluctantly, she took the pendant from his open hand. "I love you." she said. He leaned towards her for a kiss that built as slowly as a symphony. They had all the time in the world, now. 

Afterwards, Van had shown her a bedroom she could have as her own, as a queen needed a place to keep her things. She asked if she could sleep in his room anyway, and he answered with an emphatic "yes!" 

Now Hitomi was almost ready for bed. She quickly ran a brush through her hair and Van knocked at the heavy wooden door. "Can I come in yet?" he asked. 

"Yes." Hitomi responded, and the door creaked open. Van was dressed for sleep also; shirtless in a loose pair of black pants. Hitomi grinned at him and pointed to his "Hitomi Shrine" shelf. He blushed, embarassed. "That's so cute!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him and planting a kiss on his cheek. 

He crawled under the covers of the bed and hid his face, while Hitomi folded her clothes and put them neatly back in to her duffel. She put out the lantern on the windowsill and climbed in beside him. She thought nothing of sharing a bed with Van; after all, they had done that once when he came to Earth. It was after Yukari's accident. She had cried on his shoulder, and they had fallen asleep peacefully in one another's arms. It had been a perfectly innocent thing. 

She noted the particular softness of the sheets as she laid silently beside him; one of the few royal luxuries that Van indulged in without complaint. The room was so dark that she could see nothing except the stars outside the window, clear and bright in the blue-black void of night. The question lingering on her mind was this; did she still want things to be innocent? 

She and Van had kissed, and they had kissed often, but nothing more. His hands and lips had never wandered intentionally to anywhere questionable. Many times his fingertips had lightly grazed her sides - dangerously close to her chest - or the lowermost parts of her back and the uppermost parts of her thighs. But time, circumstances and boldness - or rather, the lack thereof - never permitted for anything further. At nineteen years old, Hitomi was definitely the most naive of her peers when it came to some of the more private sort of intimacies shared between lovers. 

Earlier that day when Van had pinned her to the floor, the close physical proximity had sent a flood of sensations she wasn't even aware could exist through her body. She had felt dizzy, almost drunken. She had wanted more of the feeling, but she did not know how to ask. She was afraid that once the Pandora's box of sexuality was opened things would move fast beyond her control in a violent downward spiral. 

She worried that as soon as she touched Van in a less-than-kosher way, or he touched her in one, that one of them would want intercourse. She feared that intercourse would be painful. She feared becoming pregnant before she was ready to be a mother, and she feared that Van would no longer appreciate her for who she was, only for what she could give physically. She was afraid to be seen naked; as she wasn't exactly the most well-endowed girl on Gaea. Merle's figure now put hers to shame by at least a good two cup sizes. She was afraid that - scrawny, timid and insecure - she'd be nothing more than a disappointment to the man she loved. A flurry of insecurities beat forcefully like torrents of rain against her virgin mind. 

She and Van were facing away from each other and she suddenly wondered why he wasn't holding her. She wanted him to. As if he had heard her thoughts just then, he rolled over to face the same way she was. Instead of spooning with her, he began scratching her back. She moaned softly in approval of the touch, stretching out like a cat. His hands moved in smooth circular motions across her shoulder blades, down her spine and the backs of her arms. She sighed with satisfaction. Perhaps this touch was enough for now. 

Van snuggled against her then and put his arm around her, resting his hand on her stomach. He playfully made another circle there with his fingertips, and she uttered a soft, protesting giggle, swatting his hand away. Then, slowly and cautiously, he slid his fingers beneath her shirt. When she made no move to stop him, he slid his hand upwards and gently cupped one of her breasts. 

Her entire body tensed. 

Van immediately dropped his hand. He breathed in sharply - as if he was going to speak - but he did not. Instead, he pulled his arm away and rolled over, facing away from her again. He uttered a faint whimpering sound. She frowned. Apparently he felt that he had done something wrong, but he hadn't. She was just startled by this new touch. She was just afraid. And there they were, back at square one. 

She rolled over and curled up against him. He was tense now, but he relaxed a bit in her embrace. She planted a light kiss on the back of his neck and rested her hand comfortably on his chest. "Van?" she asked tentatively, searching for the words to say that would make everything all better. 

"Hitomi, have I not already proven my patience?" he asked in a soft, unemotive voice. It was not very convincing. Perhaps he was disappointed already. She nuzzled as close against him as she could and fell asleep, trying to forget. 

***

Van was the first to awaken in the new day. He sat up in bed, leaning back against the wall and watching Hitomi's sleeping face. Often she would toss and turn, mumbling softly and acting out whatever it was that she was dreaming of. He thought of the previous night and felt a pang of guilt. As much as he loved and respected his fiancee, it could not be denied that he was an eighteen-year-old boy at the mercy of his raging hormones. He longed to touch her in the private ways that would bring her immeasurable pleasure; just seeing her in such would bring him the same enjoyment. He wanted to know more than just the taste of her mouth, and he wanted to know how it would feel to be inside her, their sweat-drenched bodies moving in time to the rhythm of their heartbeats. 

Despite the guilt he felt for the previous night's awkwardness, the thoughts stirred in his imagination, further-irritating the particular curses of being male in the morning. But Hitomi had seemed so uncomfortable when he had acted on his desires, and he would not make the same mistake again. From now on she would be calling the shots. 

He began to hum the same Fanelian tune that Folken had often whistled. It was a wedding march they had learned from their mother, called "Dragon's Bride." He smiled with pride, thinking of how it would be played when he and Hitomi walked arm-in-arm down the aisle; he in his armor and she in her...fursode? Was that the word she had used? He wondered exactly what such a garment looked like. Hitomi stirred again beneath the covers, not opening her eyes. He stroked her hair softly, trying to coax her out of sleep before... 

A loud, sharp knock came at the door. Hitomi jumped, jolted from her slumber. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. "I'm sorry." said Van, "That's our breakfast. Come in!" he commanded in the direction of the door. It creaked open and a young handmaiden walked in with a tray. She bowed to Van. 

The girl couldn't have been more than sixteen years in age. She had beautiful, lilac-colored hair which was pulled back in to a long, thick braid reaching to the middle of her back. When she lifted her face, Hitomi was struck by her piercing green eyes. They were a bright, intense shade of jade -- rather than Hitomi's seafoam color. It was only upon second glance that Hitomi realized with shock that the left half of the girl's face and neck were covered in burn scars. The girl looked equally surprised to see Hitomi there. 

"Well, good morning Van-sama. Who is your guest?" she asked in an unfalteringly velvety voice. 

"Good morning, Halena. This is Hitomi." he answered. "My fiancee. Our engagement is to be officially announced later this week." 

"Ah, Hitomi. Pleased to meet you." said the maid with another bow, smirking inwardly at the fact that the couple were already sharing a bed. 

"Pleased to meet you too." offered Hitomi, sleepily. 

Halena set the breakfast tray on the table and left the room quickly. Van stood and offered his hand to Hitomi, helping her out of bed. 

"That poor girl..." Hitomi whispered, "What happened to her face?" 

"She barely survived Zaibach's attack." Van answered with a frown. "She lost her entire family. Merle employed her here to give her a home and some stability." 

"Merle really cares about these kids, doesn't she?" asked Hitomi with an affectionate smile. Van nodded. "Hey, doesn't Merle usually eat breakfast with you?" 

"Yeah. I guess she thought she'd be intruding..." 

***

Merle sat on her windowsill, filing her fingernails habitually with a slight frown on her face. She wouldn't be eating breakfast with Van anymore. She'd promised herself long ago that she would never get in the way of he and Hitomi again. She was happy to see them together. She was happy to see Van so happy, and she liked Hitomi, too. She wished she could join them; share a meal with them like one big, happy family. But they were probably being all lovey-dovey, and her presence would be resented. After years apart, they deserved time to themselves. Was this how it was going to be from now on? She felt a pang of lonliness inside and the sting of tears threatening to rise in the corners of her eyes. 

She secretly wished she had what they had. She had several acquaintances, people she talked to and sozialized with reguarly, but she didn't get close to many people. She'd always had Van, of course, and in years that followed the war she made another very close friend. That was Celena Schezar, Allen's little sister. She hadn't known of the girl's past as Dilandu when they first met, but Celena irked her all the same. Merle had behaved in her usual, aloof and impolite manner towards her at first, but the Asturian girl seemed almost fascinated with her and persisted, no matter how rudely Merle behaved. She later learned that in her childhood, Celena was cared for by a dog-man, which had instilled in her a trust in and affinity for beastmen. 

Hitomi had said that people return your emotions, and the same was eventually true for Merle. She caved in, made friends with Celena, and poured her heart out to the kind and understanding girl. In turn, Celena had told her of her own inner demons, which made Merle's seem pale in comparison. After that, the two were inseperable, visiting each other as much as their lives - which were fairly free from obligation - allowed. That had all changed recently. Celena now had a plethora of duties which kept the friends from seeing each other very frequently. Now Merle felt more alone than she'd been in her entire life. 

Halena entered the room then, carrying a tray of steaming food. She raised an eyebrow at Merle. "You're not having breakfast with the king today, hmm? I can't say I blame ya, he and that girl were reeeeeal cozy in there..." She gave a sadistic smirk as she set down the tray. 

_Yeah, go ahead and rub it in, bitch!_ thought Merle with an irritated swoosh of her tale. 

"Don't look so sad." the handmaiden continued. "Things are just following their natural course. There's no place for cat-girls in the royal bedchambers." 

"You ever say ANYTHING like that to me again," Merle hissed, "and you are OUT OF A JOB! Don't forget that this _cat-girl_ is the reason you have a place to go and food to eat!" 

"Hmmph." said Halena, "You take offense far too easily." With that, she left the room, leaving Merle staring angrily at the space in the doorway she had occupied. Hitomi appeared in that space shortly after. Merle's fur prickled and she let out a startled squeak. 

"Hitomi?" asked the cat-girl, surprised. 

"Merle, would you like to come have breakfast with Van and I?" she asked. Merle's eyes lit up instantly. 

"I would love to." she answered. 

***

The day's shopping trip had gone well, and Hitomi returned with an armload of new clothing just in time for dinner. Spending anyone's money other than her parents' felt horribly strange to her, but Merle had goaded her on, insisting that she could purchase whatever she wanted. Everyday clothes were all made rather simply, she observed. She had chosen a lot of pants from the boys' racks; despite the fact that skirts or dresses - the typical fashion of Fanelian women - were available in abundance. She paired them with more feminine-looking blouses though, and also chose a few more elegant dresses for formal occasions. Merle had insisted that she wear one of them to dinner, if only to show it off to Van. It had short, puffy sleeves and reached to ankle-length; its sheer fabric showing off the finer points of her figure. It certainly caught his attention. 

It wasn't as if he had never looked at her that way before, but now his hungry eyes upon her body reminded her of the awkward occurrences that had taken place in his bed and she fidgeted uncomfortably. After the meal, she decided she needed to have a serious talk with her fiancé. The words "serious talk" never had pleasant connotations for Van, and he followed her to his room with reluctance. 

"About last night..." she said hesitantly, sitting on the edge of the bed. She crossed her legs daintily, dangling them over the side, but lifting them so that her feet would not touch the floor. She let her new slippers slide from her feet, and they hit the stone with a gentle thud. She forced herself to look at Van as she spoke. "I'm sorry." 

"Why?" asked Van, fighting the flush of embarrassment that rose in his cheeks anyway, despite his best efforts to contain it. He did not take notice that Hitomi was equally flushed. Discomfort was as plain as day on both of their faces. 

"I shouldn't have stopped you..." 

"Well, you didn't really stop me." said Van, after a long pause. "You just seemed horribly uncomfortable. I don't want you to feel like you have to do anything before you are ready, despite my own desires." He turned his eyes to the ground with the last words. 

"Believe me," said Hitomi, struggling to move heavy words from the tip of her tongue to the air, "those desires are mine as well. It's just that, well, we've never done anything remotely...like that before." 

Van scooted up beside Hitomi and put his arm over her shoulder reassuringly. "Which is precisely why I am not going to touch you like that again until you ask me to." 

"You can't rely on me to ask." Hitomi frowned. "I've never asked before, regardless of how much I've wanted it." 

"You've been honest with me about everything else you want." said Van. "Why not that?" 

"Maybe it's the same reason you were afraid to tell me that you loved me during the war. I am scared of what I feel and I don't know exactly what will come of it." 

_I know what will come of it. Van thought to himself. We'll do some things. We'll eventually make love. We'll still be happy. It's a fairly simple equation._ Then he thought back to the times she spoke of; the day when he'd confronted her in the guymelef hanger and came frighteningly close to confessing his feelings for her. They were feelings he wasn't even sure of, and didn't even understand. Her analogy made him feel much more sympathetic to her situation. 

"I don't want to alienate you with my uncertainty, though." she said to him. 

In response, Van leaned in and kissed her temple, then he whispered, lowering his face and brushing his lips softly against her ear: "Don't worry about it. By the time I am through with you, you'll be begging." 

His voice carried with it a quality of danger. Hitomi felt that strange sensation rush through her again, as goosebumps blossomed across her arms. Van slowly kissed her neck just below her jawline, sensually caressing the soft skin with the tip of his tongue. Then he stopped. "I'm going to get changed for bed." he said. 

_Bastard_, thought Hitomi to herself. 

Tired from the days' activities, Van did not come through on his threat that night. He wrapped his arms around Hitomi and was asleep within moments. Bastard she thought again, combing her fingers through his lovely black hair and kissing his forehead, _I love him so much._

***

It was midnight. Clouds blanketed the moon and stars, snuffing out their light, and the castle's garden was hauntingly empty. The breeze rustled through the leaves of plants, and a shadowy figure crept stealthily behind a hedge. The silence was broken by a whisper. "Is the coast clear?" asked a voice. 

"Yes." responded a second voice. There was more rustling, and two figures stood, their silhouettes barely visible in the darkness. One was feminine in form; the other was that of a man. 

"What do you have to report?" asked the man. 

"The king is getting married, Kipalisa." said the woman in a hushed whisper. 

"Is it the girl from the Mystic Moon?" he asked. 

"I don't know." said the woman. "Her name was Hitomi." 

"That is the girl from the Mystic Moon." her male counterpart confirmed. He shook his head fervently in disapproval. "That place is cursed. Fanelia has been imploding upon itself ever since Goau Fanel was foolish enough to marry a Draconian woman. Their first son ran away from the rite of Dragonslaying; their second ran away from his country when it was under attack. Despite the fact that he came back to rebuild, it was inexcusable. The royal blood has been tainted with curse. Now the king intends to contaminate it even further. It sickens me. I will have to carry out the plan sooner than I had thought. We will get vengeance for the fallen. Be prepared." 

"I understand, but be safe, my love. I do not wish to loose you as well." She spoke calmly, but clasped his hand in hers with an unspoken desperation. "I think I know of a way that I can stir up a bit of trouble, perhaps create a bit of distraction, if it will aid you." 

"Well, that was always what you've done best." said the man. The woman gave an amused laugh, and their shadowy forms came together in a kiss. It was short, and then they parted; the man leaving the garden. The woman stayed behind for several moments, looking up at the empty sky.  


~*~*~*~*~*~ 

**AN:** Changes to this chapter were minimal. I tried to lengthen it a bit, and further-express Merle's insecurities about the new situation. I can sort of relate to how she feels, because earlier this year, one of my good friends started dating my brother. I was happy for both of them, but at the same time, it was weird... She comes over all the time, but I've been feeling like I need to keep my distance, give them space, and not interfere with what they have. Van is a lot like her brother and best friend rolled in to one, and I can imagine she'd feel a lot like I did. 

**Site Plug:** http://www.opalwings.com/escaflowne


	4. Steam and Supernovas

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**Beneath Two Moons  
4. Steam and Supernovas**  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
By Jessica Lynn S. (escaflowne@opalwings.com)  
~*~ 

**Spoilers:** The entire Escaflowne series. 

**Warnings:** Sensuality, _shoujo-ai_ (romance between two female characters), and a bit of violence. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. No profit is being made from my silly fanfiction hobby. ^_^ I do, however, own this fic and the original characters in contains. Please do not post this story anywhere without asking first. 

**Summary:** A Gallant Swordswoman makes her entry and her relationship with Merle is questioned. Things heat up between Hitomi and Van, but shadows linger on the horizon. 

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** This chapter has some very strongly sexually-themed scenes which may not be appropriate for minors. I wanted to depict the development of Van and Hitomi as a couple on many different levels, including sexually, because sexual things are part of real relationships. (And because I'm a pervert. I admit it.) To quote my buddy rainjewel; if you can't stand the heat, get out of the oven. This fic is rated "R" for a reason!   


~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Hitomi sat in a cozy armchair in the small castle library with a book spread open in her lap. All of the ancient Fanelian texts had been destroyed in Zaibach's attack, which was really quite a pity. She had seen the old library just briefly when she had wandered about the castle alone on her first day there. It was just as small then, but it felt more like a library. It was stuffed to the brim with books, and had a charmingly ancient and musty aroma. 

Yukari used to joke that Hitomi had a heightened awareness of smell - poking fun at her tendency to liken Van's hair to a summertime field - but it was probably the truth. She perceived the world around her in scents just as much as in sights and sounds; certain smells having a nostalgic quality for her. 

The new library smelled like sawdust, mostly. There was nothing nostalgic about that. There were more far more empty shelves than their should have been. The other shelves were lined with books borrowed from Asturia, Basram, Daedalus and Egzardia. 

Hitomi flipped through these leather-bound volumes, reading about the governments and economies of those countries. There was a small section of fictional novels, the avoidance of which employed a little bit of her self-restraint. She wondered exactly what kind of fairy tales the people of a world where knights and dragons still roamed in abundance would have. Learning the realities of Gaea took precedence, though, and sometimes they could be just as interesting as fiction. 

Learning to be a queen was harder than college. Van had graciously hired a tutor - a kindly old man with long gray hair and an off-kilter personality reminded her in some ways of Dryden - to teach her Fanelian history and economy. She also attended council meetings with Van and Merle, in which people would argue over a plethora of matters she couldn't even begin to imagine. Foreign trade, immigration, the state of the crops... Fanelia was mostly a farming country, though since the reconstruction, tourism had been blossoming a well. It was a rapidly-changing world. 

Merle was currently lobbying for a hospital to be built in the capital. Fanelia had its share of doctors, but their medical knowledge was terribly insufficient in comparison to that of other countries. Millernia had obviously been talking to the cat girl the last time she was in Asturia. Hitomi agreed; hospitals were important. That opinion was shared by Van and the majority of the council. But then came the question of funding. Would the Fanelian people agree to higher taxes? They were rather disturbingly set in their primitive ideals of medicine. Ruling a country was a constant and delicate act of balance. Everything was intertwined in ways that made Hitomi's head swim, and her head had been swimming enough for one afternoon. 

She shut her book and replaced it on the shelf. She was suddenly in the mood for tea, and ventured to the kitchen, where Halena was scrubbing the pots left over from breakfast. The maid greeted Hitomi with a smile and a polite bow as she always did. 

Hitomi found Halena rather fascinating; she had a strange sort negative energy about her. It was not a negativity in the sense of depression or a negative attitude, but like the negative ions which charged the air before a thunderstorm. Her hair was of the same eerie, unearthly shade that the sky had been on the day when a tornado touched down six blocks from Hitomi's street. There had been churning walls of charcoal and lilac clouds, threaded with forked mazes of retina-scorching lightning. 

Hitomi was only a child at the time, and she had thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She did not understand the danger that she and her family had been in until the next morning, when she was walking to catch her bus for school and she saw a house that had been lifted from its foundations, dropped in the middle of the street. It was a humbling experience. 

Perhaps the fact that Halena seemed constantly on edge would account for that bizarre, electric feeling. It was as if she expected another invisible guymelef to spring from the walls and destroy what little in the world she had left to hold on to. Hitomi felt for her, and had made a mental note to try to befriend her, but her attempts had not been successful. Halena was kind enough, but she had quite-deliberately placed a wall between herself and the rest of the world. In some ways it was rather like Van during the war, but Van had always been easy to read. Despite his silence, his bitter melancholy had been written quite plainly across his face. Halena's expression always unwaveringly pleasant; the jade-eyed maid was a mystery. 

She set a kettle of water in the fireplace to boil, then began to grind the leaves for Hitomi's tea. 

"Halena?" asked Hitomi, suddenly. 

"Hmm?" asked the handmaiden, looking up at her with one bushy eyebrow raised. 

"Would you...would you like to be in my bridal party?" 

"Me?" asked Halena in disbelief. She quickly fumbled for an excuse. "I...I'd have nothing to wear." 

"I could buy a dress for you, it's really no trouble." 

The girl cast her eyes downward before answering with a hesitant "okay." Hitomi thanked her gleefully and hugged her. Halena was paralyzed with shock, but Hitomi didn't seem to notice. She grabbed her cup of tea and scurried out of the room, wishing her a pleasant day. 

***

Halena glanced down at her hands. Her eyes crossed, temporarily blurring her vision as she felt the invisible knife of guilt stab her in the ribs and twist. 

_She's so naive!_ Halena thought with irritation, _So naive and...so kind. This makes it harder for me to stand and watch. I am just standing and watching, right? Yes...that's all I am. An informant. The poor woman... She isn't going to take this well. _

But I mustn't think of that. I must think of mother, father, and my little brother and sister who will never grow up now. It is to them that my loyalty is sworn - and to my love - not the fiancee of the man who failed to protect them. She wants me to serve in the wedding, but this will all be over before the wedding even happens. Things will be better then. I wonder when Kipalisa will act? 

She smoothed out her skirt and blouse; an unconscious physical mirror of the mental composure she'd regained. She returned to the sink to finish scrubbing the pots so that she could begin cooking lunch. 

***

The air was still chilly, but the afternoon sun beat down upon Celena's back. Its heat was making her quite itchy in her long, starched sleeves. She wished she could just rip off her uniform and be done with it, but a Caeli knight arriving with a message from her queen in nothing but her undergarments would not give a particularly good impression of Asturia. 

Millernia had taken the throne only slightly over a year ago, when King Aston - who's health had already been in decline - suffered a rather severe stroke. Thanks to Millernia's medical knowledge and quick action, his life was saved. But the man could no longer dress or feed himself, let alone attend to his royal duties. He could no longer even speak his wishes; only utter incoherent gibbering sounds to express when he was tired or uncomfortable...or had wet himself. 

Millernia had to supervise his care while simultaneously filling his shoes, but she made no complaints. She took a nearly-sadistic amusement in the irony of it; that her father who had once dictated her every waking action was now entirely at her mercy. She could pass laws, wear pants, go out walking unescorted, and withhold Aston's dessert from him if she saw fit. Dryden had returned right away to aid Millernia in her duties, but he respected her authority and decisions. Somehow, a spark had ignited between them. Whether or not their marriage had remained binding was a gray area, and so they were to remarry in the autumn. Dryden would be crowned officially then. Love and revolution seemed to be in the air in Asturia; not only in the government but at Schezar estate as well. 

Only months after Millernia's royal coronation, Princess Eries had given birth to a beautiful baby girl named Lynn Encia Therese. The father was none other than Allen, but this time his child was not illegitimate. Baby Lynn carried the last names of both her parents. Celena had mused on occasion that it was, perhaps, a blessing that Chid zar Freid did not know of his true parentage. It was certainly odd to have a cousin who was also a half-sister. 

Being married to Eries had done wonders for Allen; his strict and ever-serious attitude was easing up considerably. His response when Celena had first announced her intentions to become a knight was rather predictable though; a resounding "Absolutely not!" 

Celena had come to terms with her previous existence as Dilandu, and her lingering guilt had given way to a stronger desire to serve and protect the innocent as penance for her past. She wasn't entirely sure how to go about serving and protecting the innocent, until one of the elder Caeli knights died and a replacement had to be found. Dilandu had been trained well in the art of sword, and Celena had retained those skills instinctively. After her brother shot down the idea, she took it to Millernia. Millernia had wasted no time decreeing that, yes, women could absolutely vie for the honor of becoming a Knight of Heaven. 

There was no way Allen could go against the word of his queen, and after one more feeble attempt to discourage his sister, he gave in. Not only did he give in, he also took it upon himself to further Celena's training. He told her that if she was going to go through with her crazy idea, she would have to be prepared for every possible circumstance she might face in battle, because he was not about to loose her again. She was to do the Schezar name proud. 

There had never been any doubt in her mind that her brother loved her, but he had a tendency to be condescending and treat her like a child. The first time he ever locked blades with her in a sparring match, she finally felt as if he not only loved, but respected her as well. There was nothing she wanted more in the world than that respect, and the look of pride in his eyes when she won the tournament to earn the position of Caeli had made her feel positively luminous. 

She had been glowing ever since. 

Reaching the top of a steep hill, she brought her horse to an abrupt halt. Stretching out before her was the vast and beautiful Fanelian capital. The familiar perfume of forests and farms filled her nostrils, prompting her to inhale more deeply. She was glad to be back. 

She had spent many joyful and carefree days in Fanelia before she was sworn to her knightly duties, for Fanelia was the home of the first person to truly befriend her since her days as Dilandu. On her first visit there with Allen, she was met with suspicious glances from the king, and a particularly rude pink-haired cat-girl. Celena had immediately tried to befriend her but Merle had taken it upon herself to make her stay miserable; not nessicarily because of her past, but just because she could. Somehow, amid the squabbling and uncertainty, they did find friendship. They confided secrets in each other, explored the forests and made mischief in the castle. Hesitantly, Van began to accept Celena as well. He allowed her to visit often, and became not unlike a friend himself. 

It had been far too long since she had seen Merle, and she was grateful for Millernia's kindness in granting her the opportunity. The queen had even given her permission to stay two nights in Fanelia if it was okay with Van, provided she inquire as to the state of plans for a hospital. She tilted her head back and gave a wild whoop of joy, causing her chestnut-colored horse to break in to a frantic gallop towards the city. Celena's long, pale-golden curls billowed out behind her in the breeze. 

***

Hitomi had nearly mistaken her for Allen when she arrived; except that Allen didn't have curls. Or breasts, for that matter. The Schezars seemed to have just the right genes to be a charming and perfectly-balanced mix of both masculine and feminine qualities. 

Merle had been thrilled to see Celena, and latched on to her instantly. Hitomi realized that they had the same kind of hair; the long curls. Merle told her proudly that they'd decided to grow their hair together not long after they'd made friends. Celena didn't want to look anything like Dilandu, and Merle thought that a change would be nice herself. 

Since she had come on business, Van and Hitomi received Celena formally in the library. The female Caeli apparently had not only her brother's good looks, but his suave professional manner as well. She delivered a personal message of congratulation from Millernia, and the news that Millernia, Dryden, Allen, Eries and herself would all be in attendance of the wedding. After that, she smiled wickedly and challenged Van to a sparring match. He promised to take her up on it after dinner. Merle was thrilled to hear that her Celena-chan could visit, at least for a little while, and the two took off together in to depths the castle. 

Van and Hitomi stayed behind. They were alone now, enveloped in comfortable silence. Van reached across the gap between their chairs to rest his palm over the back of her hand. He threaded his fingers between hers, sliding their tips beneath the delicate webbing in a loving gesture which she gratefully accepted. He studied her face with curiosity, realizing that she looked rather somber. 

"Is something wrong?" he asked, tentatively. 

"No, not really." she said. "It's just that seeing those two together makes me think of Yukari. I wonder how she is doing, and I miss her." 

Van gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Those two..." he said, "well, they might be a little different than you and Yukari." 

Hitomi blinked once before she understood the gist of his words. Then she blinked again. "Van, you're not implying..." 

"I honestly don't know. It doesn't concern me, Merle can do what she wants." he said, "But they do seem awfully affectionate." 

"Well, Merle was awfully affectionate with you, too. Even with me, once she got used to me. Perhaps she's just affectionate by nature, you know...a cat thing." 

"I thought that she'd outgrow it." Van said with a shrug, "I guess not." He grinned a little bit, then got up from his seat, perching himself upon the arm of Hitomi's chair. 

"Hitomi-sama!" he exclaimed in a mock-squeal, throwing his arms around her. He made a cheesy attempt at a purring sound and rubbed his chin against her shoulder. She giggled scratched his head. Then he licked her cheek several times, leaving it damp with saliva. She wiped it away with the back of her hand, looking disenchanted. 

"You're too weird sometimes, Van." she said, pinching his nose lightly, at which point he leaned forward and nipped the tip of hers. He lost his balance and fell in to her lap. She laughed as he peered at her with an impish smirk from behind the curtain of wild black hair that had fallen across his eyes. He was irresistibly cute. She pulled him close and kissed him. 

Things were less awkward between them now, since Van had made the suggestion that they be traditional and properly consummate their marriage on their wedding night; not before. After all, it was only two colors away. The suggestion would have been a welcome one, had he not teased her to the ends of Gaea with kisses before making it. He was evil like that. 

They still slept in the same bed, ending every day with the familiar routine of cuddling and kissing. As time passed, though, the routine grew in intensity. Van would kiss down her neck to her collarbone - and never any lower - but he had learned the territory well. He knew the sensitive spots and exactly how to work them. At some point she'd have wrapped her legs and arms around him and they'd move together in a slow rocking motion, locking lips once again. The friction would build sweetly between them through the fabric of their sleep clothes. 

Hitomi knew she didn't get the same release from it that Van did. She had heard him get up and go to the his bathroom to clean himself a few times after he thought she was asleep, and she would bite her tongue to avoid laughing about it. Some nights once he started snoring, she'd have to slide her hand beneath the waistband of her pants to find that release herself. 

He had definitely come through on his threat. He still never really touched her anywhere "inappropriate" -- unless way he brushed against her counted. Well, maybe it did. But no clothing was ever shed. It was driving her mad. She could wait two colors for sex, but she wanted to be bolder. She wanted to shed her inhibitions and explore the world of sensuality more thoroughly. 

She was jolted back to the here-and-now by the feel of Van's lips brushing lightly and across the entirety of her cheek. "I love you." he murmured, low in his throat, nuzzling her ear. 

"Van..." she muttered softly, "I want...I want..." 

He drew back and looked at her questioningly. "What do you want?" he said with a smile. "Have I really made you that flustered with just a few kisses that you can't form a complete sentence? Damn, I'm getting good." 

"You're an arrogant little bastard." she said with a sigh, pushing him backward just enough that he had to struggle to regain his balance. "But...you've won. You said I'd be begging for more, and now, here I am, begging. I want more, Van." Her last words were nothing more than a whisper as she pulled his body back to hers, nipping at his throat. 

He smiled softly and stroked her hair. "Okay, Hitomi. How could I say no? But not...not here, not now. It's broad daylight, and it's just not private enough. Wait until after dinner, after my sparring match with Celena. There's a place that I want to show you." 

***

Celena and Merle sat along the castle wall. The sky above them was blanketed in constellations. Celena had beat Van in their spar -- he was getting rusty, and he didn't charge aggressively enough. He had accepted his defeat gracefully, but asked for a rematch the next day. Celena was grateful to oblige. She loved to duel. She also loved to braid Merle's hair; an activity which she was now peacefully engaged in. She wove the long pink strands together as Merle sat patiently, purring with half-closed eyes. "I can't wait until my niece has enough hair to do this with!" she chirped gleefully. 

"Then you won't need me for anything at all anymore, will you?" Merle muttered with a hint of bitterness. 

"Don't be ridiculous." Celena swatted her shoulder. "You know you're my best friend. I'd be lost without you." 

"Sorry." sighed Merle, slumping down. "I accepted Van and Hitomi being together a long time ago. It's just lately, I'm feeling like I'm bound to lose everyone. You're so busy now, with your job and everything." 

"It's just the way my life has to be. I need to fix the things I've destroyed, Merle." 

"I know. I'm proud of you. It's just that I feel that life is passing me by. I have my work in the council, but I am still lonely. I guess I should try and find someone to love. A few members of the staff seem to be quite taken with me," she smiled, "but what if when I get close to them, they meet someone mysterious and beautiful from the Mystic Moon? What if they find work elsewhere? What happens if they just, well, get killed or something? I couldn't stand it." 

"I don't need a man to be happy." Celena shrugged. "I like my freedom. But I like my best friend, too." She put her arms around Merle and hugged her tightly. "If you're feeling that unhappy here, then why don't you come live in Asturia? You could help Eries look after the baby, you've always loved children..." 

"You know I can't do that. Just like you can't give up being a Caeli. I might not be quite as important as you, but I'm still important here, you know." 

Celena sighed as she secured the last of Merle's braids in place, then rested her head on the cat-girl's shoulder. "I can't stand to see you unhappy, you know." 

"I'm sorry, Celena-chan. It just seems like there's something out there that is infinitely beyond my grasp..." She reached out her hand as if she was trying to catch the stars in her claws, then let it drop to her side. She turned her head and looked at Celena, perking her ears. "No more of this for tonight." she said with a grin. "Let's go find some trouble!" 

"Now that's the Merle I know!" Celena exclaimed. 

***

They embarked from the roof. The sky was crisp and clear, and the Mystic Moon was straight ahead, like the beacon of a lighthouse in an ocean of stars. The night air was chilly, and Hitomi could see her breath. Van had given her a rolled-up blanket, which she pulled snugly to her chest. He embraced her from behind, and a familiar sound of rustling and ripping fabric filled the air. White feathers drifted down in front of her face. He rested his chin on her shoulder and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. He beat his wings gently, gracefully propelling himself and Hitomi in to the air. They had never flown like this before. She had always faced him, with her head buried in his shoulder, hiding from the sky. This way, she could see the candlelit windows of Fanelia beneath her, the vast fields of crops, and an endless expanse of treetops in the distance. That was probably his intent. 

It was toward those distant treetops they flew. The cold air chilled her face, but the warmth of Van's body against her back compensated more than sufficiently for that. It had been less than ten minutes, but time seemed to stand still, suspended - like them - high above the world. Van's wings cut through the whooshing currents of air with all the sweet, rhythmic repetition of a lullaby. She felt weightless, as if in a dream. She had often wondered what it would be like to have wings of her own, but in the moment, she realized that she wouldn't really want them. Draconian wings were so long; they had to be to support human weight. If two were to fly too close to one another, their wings would collide and tangle, knocking them out of the sky. She would rather be wingless than forgo the comforting harness of Van's arms around her body. 

She wondered if he grew tired from carrying her, but he made no complaint. She turned her head once to look at him, and he had looked back and smiled. It was a smile that was both content and full of promise. She wondered briefly if it would be possible to make love in the air like this. Probably not, she concluded; at least not without great difficulty. It would be too much of a physical strain, especially for Van. 

It was then that a low-laying cloud of steam on the horizon caught her attention. What lay below it was their destination. Van's wings caught a sudden gust of wind, which carried them along even faster. Together, they swooped beneath the treeline and landed gently in the grass beside a steaming hot spring. 

"What do you think?" asked Van calmly as he surveyed the scenery. "Not many people know about this place." 

"It's beautiful." she responded with wide eyes, setting the blanket on the ground. 

"Mother used to bring Folken and I here to swim when we were little. We had so much fun." he said, smiling warmly at the memory. 

"Do you wish he was here?" Hitomi asked. 

"Well...not right now!" Van blushed. "Brothers are nice to have around, but not when you intend upon swimming with your beloved." He smiled wryly. 

His wings were gone as fast as they had come and Hitomi had barely even gotten a glimpse of them. She wished he would have kept them; that she could trace their feathery texture beneath her fingertips. She had felt a strong pull to touch them the first night she had seen them, but Van wouldn't let her. He had jerked them away protectively when she reached out her hand. It must have been because of how ashamed he was of his heritage. His mother had told him to keep them hidden. Hitomi thought they were too beautiful to hide away forever. 

She was quickly snapped from that train of thought when she realized what Van was doing. He had pulled his shirt up over his head, and he cast it carelessly to the ground as she watched him. Unburdened of clothes; the muscles of his torso rippled in the moonlight. She looked away in embarrassment as he fumbled with the buttons of his fly and she heard more fabric brush against the grass. Then she heard a splash, and looked to see her fiancé waist-deep in the hot water. 

"Your turn." he informed her with an expectant grin. 

"Must you watch?" she frowned. 

"I'll see it eventually anyway." he said with a playful wink. "Trust me, it won't feel so bad once you get it done and over with. Didn't you say you wanted to be uninhibited?" 

"It's easier in theory than in practice." she retorted, but obliged him by hesitantly taking off her shirt to reveal a simple cotton bra of a pale-cream shade. 

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere." he said. She growled at him and he decided it would be wise not to say anything more, lest she change her mind about the whole thing. Trembling, she unzipped her jeans and let them slide down to her ankles, then stepped out of them, shaking her legs free. She did away with the bra and the underwear which matched its color as quickly as possible. Goosebumps prickled on her skin in the cold air. She felt awkward, clammy and horribly vulnerable. She shivered and scurried in to the comfort of the boiling water before Van had the chance to really take in the sight. 

She ducked neck-deep in to the spring, and shuddered as the encompassing heat washed over her. Sharply contrasting the air, it passed through her body like little shockwaves until she adjusted to the temperature. She wrapped her arms around her body as it gave an involuntary shiver and looked down to the water, trying to block out the world. 

"Don't worry, Hitomi." said Van, "I didn't see very much. I only saw enough to know that you're beautiful." He smiled approvingly. In response, she hid her face. She had a feeling he would shower her relentlessly with this terribly embarrassing commentary, and there was no possible way in which she could retaliate against him. He seemed totally comfortable wearing only his skin, but his body was mostly hidden beneath the water as well. 

"Can I hold you?" he asked her, paddling leisurely to her side. His voice was soft and unassuming. Sometimes he surprised her. 

"Okay." she answered reluctantly, her voice quivering. He wrapped his arms around her, slowly pulling her body to his. She was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when she felt something hard brush against her hip. She tensed reflexively. 

"Sorry..." he said, looking rather embarrassed, himself. "I can't help it. Think of it as...a compliment." he offered with a shrug. She gave no reply. It wasn't as if she hadn't felt its presence before, but it had always been safely hidden away behind layers of clothing. She felt horribly uncomfortable. Like the hot water, the awkward vulnerability of nudity was something she would have to adjust to. She rested her head against his shoulder and brought her arms up to return his embrace. She let her breasts flatten against his chest under the water, wishing that she could enjoy the moment as much as he was. 

Van dropped a hand beneath the bubbling surface, and at first Hitomi was nervous as to where that hand would wander too. It only took a fistful of water and drizzled it over her hair. She felt the water run down the back of her neck, warming her skin, and sighed. She relaxed against him a little bit and leaned in towards him, brushing her lips over his. He did nothing at first, almost making her work for the kiss. She nosed his cheek in silent plea and ran the tip of her tongue across his upper lip. Finally his mouth parted, letting her in. He kissed her slowly; carefully and tenderly. His usual kisses were like spontaneous combustion. This one was a slow-burning fire, rising from mere embers to encompass her entire being. Being naked didn't mean so much anymore. 

In fact, the closeness of it was rather nice. Skin against skin; she could feel all the precise and delicate rhythms of his body. She felt his heart pounding hard against her chest, the rise and fall of his diaphragm with every breath he took, an involuntary muscle twitch somewhere in his stomach. It was a poetry with no words, a lucid and enveloping heat. When he finally ended the kiss, she backed slowly out of his arms. "Hitomi?" he asked with concern, worried that he had done something wrong. 

"I'm too hot." she confessed. "I feel a bit woozy. I'm going to sit up on that rock over there." She indicated to a smooth boulder protruding just slightly out of the water. 

"Ah, yes. I do have that effect." Van smirked. She splashed him and waded to the boulder. 

She lifted herself on to it gracefully, letting Van look at her body as much as he pleased. At first, he tried not to look, worried he would make her feel more uncomfortable. Then she kicked at the water with her foot and splashed him again. "I thought you WANTED to look at me." she commanded. 

"Who am I to argue?" said Van, resisting the urge to sappily liken her to a goddess or some other mythical being as he turned his eyes toward her. 

Thin whisps of wet hair clung to her face, the droplets running down over her flushed skin. Her green eyes were uncharacteristically large and bright as she returned his smile. She arched her body forward in a confident, graceful, stretching slope as if to flaunt her figure. Her breasts seemed to be the just the right size for her frame (any larger and they would have been overpowering) and they rested against her ribcage in perfect symmetry. 

Van did not consciously comprehend this. In typical male fashion, all he comprehended was: _Breasts! I'm seeing breasts! And...other stuff...ooh!_ His eyes trailed down her body - a soft and slender cascade of concave and convex curves - taking in each and every one of them, from the slopes of her shoulders and the gentle blossom of her hips to the sparse, damp tendrils of honey-brown where her thighs intersected with her torso. His resolve not to be cheesy crumbled. 

"You are a goddess." he said. He took a step towards her, unaware of exactly how far his mouth was hanging open. 

"Flattery will get you nowhere. You can look at me...from OVER THERE." She stuck out her tongue. 

"Ahh, you're no fun!" he groaned. 

"Tough luck." 

"Should I come out of the water, too?" 

"I beg your pardon?" 

"Do you want to see..." 

"Umm, I've never seen one before. It scares me." Her words prompted Van to blush again. 

"I wasn't referring to that ONE THING in particular," he complained indignantly, "but it doesn't bite." 

"It was going to! I nearly mistook it for a water snake!" she jokingly ventured. Van briefly considered making a remark about Hitomi being so delicious that he couldn't blame his "water snake" for wanting a taste, but he quickly decided against it. That definitely wasn't going to gain him her favor. 

"You're impossible, Hitomi." he sighed, giving up for the time being. He sank to his knees in the water and pouted. Hitomi seemed oblivious to his presence for a long while. For Van - and the throbbing ache which was constantly increasing in his groin - it seemed like an eternity. She looked up to the moons and stars overhead. The steam blurred the sky above, making it look like wet paint. 

"Wet paint sky..." she muttered softly to no one in particular. She reached her hand upward as if to smear more stars across the canvas of the stratosphere. 

"Wet..." Van echoed, that single word sending a kaleidoscope of scintillating images through his mind. She turned and met his eyes. The air between them was tense with electricity. 

"You can come over here now." she said. "Come over here and kiss me, like you did before." He appeared before her in a single heartbeat. She slid down in to the in to his arms and let her lips mingle with his again, this time standing so that the water only reached to her waist. He pulled back slightly, locking her eyes in a penetrating gaze. 

"Can I...?" he began to ask. Hitomi raised a finger to his lips before he could even finish the question. 

"I'm yours, Van." 

He gave her a grateful, impish smile and quickly lowered his mouth to her throat, finding one of the spots which never failed to make her shiver. He kissed and lapped at the skin. She threw her head back and moaned softly as - with the utmost reverence and care - he stroked the side of her breast, making an agonizingly-slow spiral inward towards the pale dusty-rose nipple. He stroked lightly up and down over it, just barely brushing it with his fingertips before finally catching it between them and feeling it harden instantly as he rolled it gently back and forth. She gave a small shiver; she was more sensitive there than she had realized. 

Sometimes it felt to Hitomi as if there were two sides to Van. One was kind, gentle, eternally patient and understanding. The other was something more dangerous; savage and predatory. That later side was taking over now as he ran his hand teasingly down her side and over the subtle curve of her hip, then back up to the nipple. But perhaps there were two sides to Hitomi as well. Shyness had long-since given way to instinct as she involuntarily drew her nails across his back, leaving small red scratches on his skin. He smiled and withdrew his hand. She grabbed it, trying to force it back to her breast. 

"You like that, eh?" he asked, nibbling her earlobe. His voice was low and thick with desire. She nodded quickly and looked at him, her eyes pleading for more. He complied, lowering his mouth to the breast, lapping and sucking at it with voracious insistence. She inhaled sharply and uttered a melodious cry as he began to fondle her other, previously neglected, breast with his hand. He still had one hand free, and a vague idea of what he might do with it. He let up on his oral assault for just a moment, and asked Hitomi to climb back up on the rock. She obeyed with wordless understanding. 

It no longer felt threatening in the slightest that Van slid his hand across her inner thigh then cautiously inserted a single finger between her legs. The way he moved it was far too gentle, as if he were afraid she'd rupture beneath his touch. It quickly became obvious that now that his hand was there, he had not the slightest inkling of what to do with it. She clasped her hand firmly over the back of his, guiding the finger, showing him what she wanted him to do. 

He wondered if she touched herself like this, and that thought was enough to send him completely over the edge. He found his release in a rather anti-climatic fashion, there in the water. Hitomi was none-the-wiser to it. She clenched her eyes and her teeth tightly as he continued to work 

A warm ecstasy quickly built up deep inside her. In her mind's eye, the wet-paint stars became more focused, clearer and sharper than they had ever been before. Pulled by an all-encompassing gravity they converged upon a single point with a blinding brightness, then exploded, sending waves of pleasure through her entire body as they spiraled back to their galaxies. Without thinking, she balled her fists in Van's hair and yanked hard, jerking his head upward. She kissed him aggressively as the orgasm wracked through her, biting at his tongue as her frail form shuddering under the nearly unbearable pleasure. 

Van pulled away from her, gasping for air. "Hitomi..." 

"Hmm?" she asked him, peering through lazy, half-lidded eyes. 

"I needed to breathe. You were suffocating me and chomping my tongue. You pulled my hair and clawed my shoulder too. Pleasuring you is dangerous!" He gave her a warm, yet exhausted smile. 

She blushed bright red as her fuzzy mind returned to reality, realizing what it was that she had just done. The embarrassment wasn't too great though; after all, she had done it with Van. This was only another way in which he knew her like no one else could. 

***

After too much time in hot water, the cool air was a comfort. They laid on the blanket in the grass, listening to the sounds of the forest as their pruney fingers and toes slowly returned to their normal smoothness and the water evaporated from their skin. Hitomi had only seen male nudity twice before in her life, and wasn't sure if either instance really counted for something. 

The first was when her brother was a toddler and going through an odd phase where he had an aversion to clothes. Her mother would be throwing a dinner party when the little boy would come padding in to the room dressed in nothing besides his birthday suit, acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Mrs. Kanzaki would promptly scoop him up and cart him off to his room as the guests tried to repress amused laughter. The second time was in a video that Yukari made her watch when they were teenagers. Hitomi had hid her face for the majority of the time, though looking back, she found herself wishing she had paid more attention, because she could have learned something. She wanted to return the pleasure which Van had given her, but she hadn't the foggiest idea how. 

She forced herself to study him more boldly now, noticing the little details and peculiarities that she liked about his body. There was something enchanting in the way the skin would tighten across his chest as he inhaled, revealing the muscle tone there. There was so much energy contained within the simple act of his breathing. She found the jutting angularity of his hip bones fascinating as well, imagining they were made like that just so that she could hook her legs over them when they finally made love. 

She was even so bold as to turn some of her visual attention to that part of his anatomy that had previously frightened her. Her eyes did not linger there long. It still felt kind of strange to look at it. Van rolled on to his stomach, stretching out his body and closing his eyes contentedly. She reached out and ran her fingers along the curve of his spine and traced his shoulder blades with her fingertips, finding no trace of the wings when they were retracted. 

She cocked her head to the side then as devious thoughts formed in her mind. "Van, can I see your wings?" she asked him, breaking the silence. He stared at her as if she had requested something horridly obscene, confirming her observations that he was still somewhat ashamed of them. 

"You saw them earlier." he said flatly, propping himself up on his elbows and resting his face in his hands to look at her. 

"Well," she smiled, "I'd like to conduct a closer examination. You got to examine everything that YOU wanted to tonight." She had a point. He sighed defeatedly and rose from where he sat, stretching his arms toward the sky and letting the snowy feathers erupt from his back once more. 

"Does it hurt?" Hitomi asked, noticing how he winced. She had never considered that sprouting the wings might be painful for Van before. 

"No." he answered. "It feels awfully strange, but it doesn't hurt." He folded them and returned to the blanket, looking at her expectantly with his dark eyes. 

"How does it feel when I touch them?" she asked, smoothing down the feathers on the back of one wing. He shivered violently, his body responding in ways she would have never expected. His breathing deepened but he gave no answer. "Come on, tell me!" she persisted, tracing her hand back along the same path, this time against the lay of the feathers. He shook his head. 

"Wonderful...and totally, totally wrong." 

"Why is that?" she inquired. 

"They're for flying. They're for getting me where I need to go. That's all." He folded his arms. 

"Someone has a complex." she quipped. "You make me think of a woman telling a man not to touch her thighs, because they're too big." "Well, I'm not telling you NOT to touch them..." he muttered. 

"Hmm..." she said with a pondering expression, fingertips tickling at the sensitive skin where the wings connected to his shoulders, "I wouldn't want to do anything to you that you weren't comfortable with." She pulled her hand away. "I don't think I'm going to touch your wings anymore...that is, until you beg me to." She was pulling the same line on him that he had used on her so many times before. He let out a desperate whimper. She smirked. Turnabout was fair play. She had a greater resolve than Van though, for he was on his knees in seconds. 

"Please." he whispered. He looked at her with big, glistening eyes and leaned forward, planting the most delicate kiss on her lips. 

"I'm not convinced." she said. 

"Don't torment me!" he chided. "You win!" He caught a feather that had settled on the blanket beside them, and turned it around in his fingertips. "You know, I think I first fell in love with you when you told me that you liked my wings." He ran the feather lightly over her jawline and across her throat. "My whole life, people have only reacted in the worst way to them, with the exception of Merle. But...she's Merle, and she takes fascination in the oddest of things. Anyway, I don't want to think about her now...I'd rather think about you. I really want to show you how grateful I am." 

"I don't think my body can take any more of _your_ gratitude tonight. I should...return some of it..." she said, nervously. He took her hand in his own and placed it on his wing impatiently. She removed it and put it somewhere entirely different. Van's eyes went wide. He hadn't expected to be so lucky that night. 

"Oh...that's...even better." he whimpered. "Hitomi, don't stop...please don't stop!" Surprisingly, she had a better grip (no pun intended) on how to work his anatomy than he did hers. 

***

The morning sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon. Kipalisa crouched low in the bushes, his brown eyes narrowed as he watched the garden for any signs of life. He had been rather annoyed that the Caeli had come the previous day, but he hoped she wouldn't interfere. The plan was simple: lay low, kill Van, and get the hell out. He didn't know who would take over then. He wasn't about to try; the glory meant nothing to him. 

He hoped Hitomi would go back to her own world once her strongest tie with Gaea was broken, rather than taking the throne in Van's stead. He didn't want to have to kill her too. But if the little cat-girl tried to take the throne, he'd have no qualms with dispatching her. The ruler of Fanelia should not be Draconian or beastman or from the Mystic Moon, he reasoned; he or she should be a simple citizen with the best interests of the country in mind. 

His father had been one such citizen; serving as an advisor to Goau Fanel. He was disgracefully relieved of his position when he stubbornly refused to accept the king's marriage to Varie, a move which had only left disaster in it's wake. It was time for the succession of a new, untainted royalty. So he waited there amongst low branches and twisted roots, like a wolf stalking its prey. 

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

**AN:** I changed a lot here, making it the longest chapter thusfar -- with close to eight-thousand words. Eep! When I wrote this I was being a total wimp about the intimate scenes. I went back and made them much more...descriptive, while attempting to keep within the "R" rating. I would still argue that writing citrusy stuff is not my strong point though I may do it one more time over the course of this story. 

Allen and Eries' daughter, Lynn, is named after my first niece, Lynn Marie T., who was born on November 1st, 2002. She's a beautiful child and a blessing to both of her families. 

**Site Plug:** http://www.opalwings.com/escaflowne


	5. Thunder Overhead

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
**Beneath Two Moons  
5. Thunder Overhead**  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
By Jessica Lynn S. (escaflowne@opalwings.com)  
~*~ 

**Spoilers:** The entire Escaflowne series. 

**Warnings:** Sensuality, _shoujo-ai_ (romance between two female characters), and a bit of violence. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. No profit is being made from my silly fanfiction hobby. ^_^ I do, however, own this fic and the original characters in contains. Please do not post this story anywhere without asking first. 

**Summary:** An attempt on Van's life leaves him thoroughly rattled, and his coping mechanisms are faulty. A meddling maid leaves Hitomi concerned and doubtful. Will the happiness they've finally found be shattered so soon, or will what doesn't kill them only make them stronger? 

**AN:** Be forewarned of bit of violence in this chapter, but not quite as graphic as the last chapter's sensuality. Reason being? I like sensuality. ^_^ I don't like violence. Sensuality good. Violence bad. Sushi good. Violence bad.   


~*~*~*~*~*~ 

***  
_"If you love enough you'll lie a lot  
I guess they did in Camelot"_  
*** 

Hitomi had overslept, and Van took care not to wake her. It had been a busy night, and she deserved to rest. If only he were so lucky. He had things to attend to. He kissed her on the forehead and left the room as quietly as possible, shutting the door behind him. He ate breakfast with Celena and Merle in the dinning room. 

It was already mid-morning by the time that Hitomi awakened. She peered around the room with groggy eyes, wondering vaguely what the time was. A feather rested on the pillow beside her, perhaps Van's way of saying "good morning" without being present. She rolled over and hugged the blankets, inhaling his scent. She knew she was being silly, but after the activities of the previous night, she was enraptured in a newfound giddiness. A world she had never before touched upon had opened up before her, presenting endless possibilities. 

A light knock came at the door, barely audible. "Hitomi, are you awake?" came Halena's hushed whisper. "I have your food." 

"Oh, yes...come in." she responded. 

"You must have been tired out." Halena ventured with a smirk. Hitomi nodded sleepily, not seeming to notice the connotation of her words. The future queen was obviously not a morning person. "Anyway, I would like to speak to you about something." 

"Hmm?" Hitomi inquired. Her vocabulary was going to be a bit limited until she had been awake for a little longer. 

"That cat-girl," said Halena, "has been causing a bit of trouble." She launched in to an account of how - before Hitomi's arrival - Merle had tried to convince Van to forget Hitomi, and subsequently threw herself at him. Van - of course - had rejected her advances, with unwavering loyalty to the woman that he loved. Halena maintained that Merle continued to speak ill of Hitomi whenever she wasn't present. 

Hitomi didn't know what to say, the story seemed rather incongruent with the Merle that she knew, especially in consideration of the allusions Van had made in the library. Hearing it - whether or not it held any truth - was still enough to put a substantial damper on her mood, though. She knew she had taken Van away from Merle in some respects, but she had always assumed that Merle accepted it. Her actions would not suggest otherwise. But perhaps, deep down, the cat-girl was truly embittered. 

Since Hitomi had come to live in Fanelia, it was as if life were a perpetual good dream. Maybe it was all too good to be true. Maybe she would have to wake up and realize what was really happening around her. It would be awful if Halena was right, because Merle was Hitomi's friend and she didn't wish to see her hurt. She'd have to broach the subject with the cat-girl and ascertain her true feelings on the subject. Otherwise, doubt and guilt would fester, eating away at her mind. She did not want to complicate the dynamics of the world around her any more than she had the first time she set foot upon Gaean soil. 

***

Every day, some time between breakfast and lunch, the king of Fanelia walked through the garden. It was like clockwork; the pattern was totally predictable. He would sit on the bench alone, looking up at the sky or at the statue of Folken. Sometimes he'd talk to the statue. He'd say silly things like "I hope what I've done has made you proud." or "I can't wait to marry Hitomi." Though his sword hung at his side as always, he was totally off his guard in these moments, floating in some ridiculous world of childish whimsy that was terribly unbecoming to a king. 

Hitomi was with her tutor, and Kipalisa had seen the cat-girl go off in to the woods with her Asturian friend earlier that morning. They posed no threat to his scheme. He heard the king's footsteps, and drew his sword, ready to spring. 

"Brother," Van said, smiling up in admiration at Folken's bronze likeness, "I went to our spring last night; the one mother used to take us to. It's just as beautiful as I remember it. I also learned some rather...interesting...things about my wings. If you still have them in the afterlife, and one of those cat-girls of yours wants to touch them...let them. You won't regret it, believe me!" 

Kipalisa made a face of disgust. Van was speaking of his horrid wings, and he did not wish to hear any more of it. He leaped forward, swinging his sword wildly. The blade nearly made contact with the king's head, but by some divine grace, Van ducked without a fraction of a second left to spare. The blade caught only a few strands of black hair, which were picked up and carried away by the wind as Van kicked Kipalisa's legs from under him. He fell hard, and scrambled to get back on his feet. Van stood with his jaw agape, staring at the man with dazed eyes before finally drawing his own sword. He had already given his attacker all the time he needed to regain his footing, and Kipalisa came at him again. This time Van blocked, and a flurry of clanking metal erupted. It was all over very quickly; even faster than it had started. 

Kipalisa felt a sharp pain as Van's blade through his throat, and everything went black. In that blackness, he could swear that he saw a glowing sillouhette emerge. It was the form of a woman with long, billowing wings. _Well, damn it. There are Draconians in heaven, too!_ he thought with defeated anger as he was enveloped and carried away in the blinding light ofoblivion. 

***

Van stared at the disembodied head and felt sick to his stomach. He hadn't intended to kill the man. Everything happened too fast for him to do anything but react. He had engaged in a fair amount of sword combat during the war, but he had never dispatched someone so quickly and thoughtlessly before unless he had been in a guymelef. That was different; that made everything less personal. He didn't have to watch the Dragonslayers as they died at his hands. He wasn't made to see their suffering faces in the midst of his merciless onslaught. He didn't recognize the pale, bloodied face that laid before him now. The identity of his assassin was a mystery. He appeared to be an average sort of citizen, with medium-length red-brown locks, and he couldn't have been any older than twenty-five years. He had been in the prime of his life. 

The would-be murderer hadn't spoken a single word, and his motives were totally unknown. They could have been discerned if Van would have been thinking clearly enough to capture him instead of killing him, but now he would never find out what drives such a man to kill his king. He would never know exactly how long this man had been sneaking around in the bushes. He didn't know if there were accomplices. He should have stayed on his guard, but Van was too busy berating himself internally to keep his wits about him now. He stared at the ground, letting his eyes shift in and out of focus as they chose to. Reality ceased to make sense. 

It was as if the world was jolted from it's axis and sent toppling off in to space, spinning in every which way, and defying the laws of physics. Van staggered, hiding his face in his hands in futile effort to ward off the queasiness. Confusion and nausea wrapped around his body; squeezing the air from his throat and lungs like a large and irate python. He gasped hoarsely. 

Direedus had heard the clanking of swords, and he arrived at the scene as fast as he could. He found his king standing beside a decapitated body with his face buried in his hands. 

"Van-sama?" he asked softly, his voice trembling, "What on Gaea happened here?!" 

Van took a single step towards Direedus before his knees gave out beneath him. He fell lethargically in to the guard's arms. Direedus supported his slumping weight, not allowing him to fall over completely. 

"I guess I finally charged aggressively enough." said the king with a bitingly sarcastic laugh which held no real amusement. He did not look up. Whatever expression was on his face was hidden completely beneath his tousled hair. Direedus didn't know what to make of the situation. He felt horribly uneasy to be there at the scene of a fresh death, holding his king as if he were a child. 

"Van-sama," he repeated, shaking him gently, "what happened?" 

Reality snapped its bony fingers, prompting Van to compose himself a bit. He regained his footing and backed out of Direedus's grip. He looked at the corpse again, then at Direedus. "He attacked me, from out of nowhere. I didn't have the time to think." he stated, scratching his head. Despite his newfound coherency, he still looked horribly shaken. 

"Do you know who he was?" the guard asked. 

"No." said Van uneasily. 

"Well, I guess we better dispose of him. He's not exactly the most pleasant sight. We better double the guard and put everyone on high alert." 

"We should also inform the council. Who knows who he might be working for, or why he tried to kill me?" 

"I'll take care of it, Van. I'll get some of the others to help. You don't look so well." 

Van thought suddenly of Hitomi and Merle and his face went white with worry. Where were they? Were they all right? He had previously been too shocked to think of such things, and now his mind was racing at eighty-five miles per hour. He quickly surveyed the contents of his memory and came upon the realization that they were fine. Hitomi was in the library. There was a guard posted not far from there. Merle, wherever she was, was with Celena. Celena could beat him in sword combat; Merle had absolutely nothing to worry about. 

His second worry was what would happen if Hitomi found out about this. Her visions had saved his life on more occasions than he could count, but now she was blissfully free of their torment. She had ceased her tarot readings and closed the door on the world of premonition. Would she feel responsible because of that; feel as if she could have prevented things had she only been more aware? Of course she would feel that way. She was Hitomi. Would she try to use her forgotten divining abilities to access the threat? He did not want to put her through all the psychological agony of having to see and struggle to change a harsh future all over again. He just wanted her to be happy for once, and out of harm's way. She deserved some peace. 

"I don't...feel well at all." he admitted. "I will never get used to killing. I was hoping I'd never have to kill again. Do me a favor though, please, Direedus?" 

"Yes?" 

"Get him out of here before Hitomi or Merle come through. Do not let them know anything about this, I don't want to worry them. Send someone to the library personally just to check up on things and make sure Hitomi is okay." 

"I'll do what I can, your highness." Direedus answered, understandingly. 

***

Merle slumped down on her bed, irritated at time. It was still an hour until lunch was to be served, but she was famished. Her innards rumbled desperately, crying out for sustenance, but she growled at them to be patient. She had exerted herself a little too much in the forest; leaping from branch to branch as she raced Celena through the maze of trees and undergrowth. She supposed that it was a childish thing to do, but there were some childish tendencies that it seemed neither party would ever outgrow. Merle had been running on a haphazard burst of energy; practically having to force herself to be happy and make the most of her friend's short visit. She would be sad when Celena went back to Asturia. She was sad now, however hard she railed against it. 

Celena was busy arranging a lovely bunch of wildflowers in a vase on the windowsill. She approached the task with meticulous care, studying the assortment from three different angles and making countless adjustments before she could be satisfied with her work. 

"There you go." she said to Merle, stepping back to admire what she had done. She gave a graceful bow in the trademark chivalrous Schezar style. "Beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl." she said, her voice as smooth as river-polished stones. Merle growled and threw a pillow. 

Hitomi peeked around the frame of the open door, giving a courteous knock on the wall rather than just entering. "It's not very interesting in here," warned Merle, "but you can come in if you like." 

"It's downright dangerous in here!" retorted Celena, chucking the pillow back at the cat-girl. 

"Thank you." said Hitomi, moving to sit beside Merle on the bed. "I wanted to...well, ask you about something." Merle cocked her head. "I may have been horribly oblivious, and for that, I'm sorry. If it really is true, I don't know what I'm going to do... Sometimes I fear that my presence here has alters the natural course of everything too much for me to stay and that inevitably, I will have to go home again and forget this place." Hitomi stammered. "If I'm causing so much trouble." She fidgeted with her hands. 

"You're making no sense." stated Merle bluntly. "If you would have never come here, 

Van-sama would be dead. The rest of us would have died either in an attack, or killing each other when Zaibach released their Zone of Absolute Fortune. In my opinion, no one is better-suited to rule than you. You have done volumes for this Gaea and Fanelia, and volumes for Van. It had been years since I had seen him truly happy before you came." 

"Do you love Van?" Hitomi blurted, her lips contorting in to a frown. "Have you been...unhappy with this arrangement the entire time?" 

Merle narrowed her eyes and shook her head in an aggressive no. "No, no, and no! Hitomi, I am really tired of this question!" she muttered with irritation. "I love Van-sama as my surrogate brother, and as my king. That is the extent of it." 

"Okay, that is how I had always thought that you felt, but one of the handmaidens was very concerned for you.... She was insistent that you were bitter towards me. You know me Merle, I felt painfully guilty, and I had to ask you for myself." 

"Was it Halena?" Merle asked as if a light bulb had gone on in her head. Hitomi nodded. 

"Then that would explain it." said the cat-girl, wincing. "She acts pretty sneaky, and I don't like her. She's had it in for me since I caught her wandering through the garden the early hours of the morning. I assume that she was meeting a lover or something, and I didn't think much of it, but apparently she did. She's been making snippy little remarks and 'accidentally' burning my food since then. I don't trust her, at all." She straightened her posture and folded her arms in a physical manifestation of her disgust. 

"My apologies, I didn't know. I took her to be a kind person, but you're right, she seems to have some heavy secrets." Hitomi observed. "I will have to talk to her. Behaving rudely towards you, and spreading rumors - if that was her intent - can not be tolerated. Can I ask you another question, though?" 

"All right." said Merle. 

"Do you and Celena..." she began, falling back in to her stammering. "Well, are you and Celena in love?" 

Merle stared at her with blank and utterly-baffled expression. Celena's eyes went wide as a dark shade of red surfaced upon her pale skin. 

"No." said Merle. She grabbed Hitomi by the shoulders and shook her in frustration. "I can't imagine what handmaiden told you that! Is this the official day to speculate on Merle's exotic and mysterious love life? Because I'll tell you what, I have absolutely none to speak of." She shook her head. "Generally, I like you, Hitomi. But...I don't know what's going on in your strange little brain today!" 

"Forgive me then." said Hitomi, with a small smile. "It seemed a little more plausible than you pinning away for Van all these years." 

"You're just one confused little girl today." Merle sighed with a sympathetic smile. "You're probably just having marriage jitters. Apparently even the strongest of relationships aren't immune to them." 

"Maybe I am." agreed Hitomi. "I feel much better having talked to you though." She gave Merle a hug and left the room. 

"What was that about?! About us, I mean...?" asked Celena in a small voice. 

"Damned if I know." Merle responded in an equally subdued tone. They sat in an awkward and puzzled silence until their lunches arrived. 

***

Van had resigned himself to his room for most of the afternoon, citing to his servants that he was tired. Everyone had let him be. He sat in bed with a glass of vino that he kept refilling, trying desperately to come down off the rush of adrenaline which still coursed through him like all the memories of war he hoped he would never have to touch upon again. He was grateful for Hitomi's absence. He did not feel as if he could put on a mask of normalcy for her; no, not yet. He was troubled by his fleeting thoughts. 

Did the brown-haired man have a family out there that didn't know where he had gone; people who were worried for him? Was he just a normal citizen with a grudge against the royal family? Or had he been a Zaibach sorcerer who hadn't been eliminated in the war, coming to Fanelia with vengeance in mind? Had he been a madman who desired the throne for himself? The vast array of possibilities danced wildly through his thoughts; the dead man's face burning like a scar from the sun on the retina of his mind's eye. No amount of vino would drown it out. He drifted in and out of a light sleep filled with dreams of being strangled by headless men. He was jolted awake in a cold sweat to the sound of the door creaking open. 

"Van?" he heard Hitomi ask softly. He scrambled to hide the vino under the bed before she came in, but had no time to compose himself any further. His face was sweaty, his eyes were bloodshot, his clothes rumpled and his hair stuck out in all directions. "Van!" she exclaimed in distress upon seeing him. "Are you sick?" 

"No.." he said, but his voice was not very convincing. 

"You look sick." she said. "I was wondering why you hadn't come out for dinner. I mean, I can understand being tired...but not that tired." 

She walked over and sat down beside him. He jerked away involuntarily, pulling the covers up around him as she put a hand to his forehead. "You feel...cold." she said. She took him by the shoulders and gently turned him to face her, embracing him tightly to warm him. His body felt tense in her arms. "And...you've been drinking." she observed upon smelling his breath. 

Stunned by her realization, she let go of him, her hands falling limp to his sides. Van had occasionally partaken in vino when they ate, but she had a far greater tendency to over-do it with the vino than him. He definitely had never been one to shut himself up in his room by himself to drink -- not even during the war, when he had been at his moodiest. He was very out-of-sorts, and his sudden change in behavior could only mean that something was wrong. She didn't know what could be wrong so suddenly when it had been such a peaceful day, especially after what they'd done the previous night. 

He had already turned away from her, hiding his eyes. She gingerly laid a hand on his shoulder. "What's going on here?" she asked him. 

"Hitomi." he said. "Please don't touch me." 

She withdrew her hand with a frown. "What's wrong, Van? You're obviously not yourself. Has something happened? Have I done something wrong? Are you...angry with me?" He had seemed _very happy_ with what she'd done to him last night. Maybe he regretted it all now? Maybe she couldn't do anything right. She felt a few hot tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. 

"No." Van said. "You've done nothing wrong. Just please...I need to be alone now." 

"I don't understand!" she protested, making another attempt to embrace him. He struggled against her for a moment before giving in, then took her by surprise by capturing her mouth in a hot, forceful kiss. The only thing she could taste was the vino. His body was shaking violently against hers, his chest throbbing with the beat of a heart that seemed to want to leap out of the skin it was encased in. 

"Van?" she mumbled in to his mouth with wide-open eyes; even more confused than before. Long moments passed. He never withdrew his tongue from her mouth and she struggled to breathe through her nose. His hands made their across her back and over her hips with that same bizarre blend of trembling and force. He leaned forward, pushing her on to her back as he continued to grope her through her clothing. He was suddenly making her very nervous. 

She pulled away from his kiss. "Van...stop..." she whimpered. "You're drunk." 

"Yes, I am..." he whispered. "I am a horrible mess. You should just let me be." 

"Van, I can't... I'm worried about you." she responded, her voice quivering. 

"That's Van-sama." he quietly growled. "I am your king, and you should obey my wishes." He forced her shoulders down in to the mattress as if the violence of the act would somehow prove his point. 

The hard sound of her slap echoed several times off the walls. Van stared at her, dazed, as if awakened from a dream. 

"I am not one of your subjects!" Hitomi shouted. "I am a woman who loves you and has chosen to come here to be with you. But apparently, Van Fanel, I don't know you as well as I thought I did, and I am going to have to reconsider our engagement." 

She stormed out of the room with tears in her eyes, slamming the heavy wooden door behind her. He stared at the empty space where she had stood. His fingers traced along the welt her hand had left in his cheek as her words sank in. He may have been drunk, but he was not drunk enough not to realize what he had just done. He was, however, too drunk to think to open the door before running after Hitomi. He hit the wood face-first and slid down to his knees, holding his throbbing forehead. 

"Hitomi," he cried out in a hoarse voice, "I am so, so sorry." 

She was already too far away to hear him. The thought occurred to him that she would go back to her world. It was all over. How could he have been so stupid? He curled in to a ball, hugging his knees to his chest, and sobbed violently in to the cold, hard floor. 

***

Hitomi curled up in a ball beneath the table in her room, almost a mirror of Van in his own. The foundations of everything she thought to be truth were violently shaken. Her world was coming apart at the seams, unraveling before her in a chaotic heap and slipping away like thin strands of silk, falling through her fingers. All the insecurities that her chat with Merle had quieted came back with a vengeance, beating against her skull. She wrapped her arms around herself and cried until her eyes were red and puffy, and the tears would no longer come. It was then that the inquisitive cat-girl found her. 

Merle crouched down and looked at Hitomi. "Oh no..." she thought aloud, "She's upset again. If I ask her what's wrong, she'll get all aggressive on me. But if I do nothing, I will feel bad. What is a cat to do?" 

Without warning, Hitomi sniffled and threw her arms around Merle, squeezing her until she couldn't breathe. Merle was almost sorry she asked. She fought her way loose and patted Hitomi's back with a slightly awkward sympathy. "You poor thing." she said softly. "Why don't you come out and have some tea with Celena-chan and I? Then you can tell us what's wrong." Hitomi complied with a sniff. Merle draped her arm over her shoulder, supporting her weight as they walked to her own room where the tea was being served. 

Hitomi related the incident with Van to Merle and Celena between sips, sobs and sniffles. 

"I love Van. I want to marry Van." she said. Her words were choppy and strained as she spoke. "But I don't know if I can marry him after he acted that. I feel like after all this time, I only thought that I knew him. I don't know whether to try talk to him; to be honest I am afraid to. I don't know whether to just go home and leave Gaea behind forever. I don't want to. I don't want this to be all over, and I don't want to forget all of you, but it almost seems as if that is what I have to do. I was so sure of myself before I came here. Why has everything gone so wrong? What kind of cruel trick is God playing on me, waving happiness under my nose and then snatching it away just as quickly?" She slammed her fists down on the table as a sob wracked through her. Her cup of tea was teetering dangerously close to the edge. Celena quickly caught it and returned it to its previous location. 

"Calm down, Hitomi. That is very unlike Van." observed Merle, momentarily dropping the honorary from his name. "Something strange must be up with him, but nothing gives him any excuse to treat you unkindly." Celena nodded silently in approval of Merle's words. 

"I don't want you to leave us though." said Merle pleadingly. "I don't want you to leave Van-sama. He loves you, and I am sure he's already regretting what he did. I'm sorry for every time I was ever mean to you before. I want you to be here. I want you to be the queen of Fanelia. Please stay for a while, at least. Wait this out, see what happens. It won't be the same here without you!" Merle was surprised at the conviction of her own words, but apparently they weren't very reassuring to Hitomi. She only buried her face in her hands and continued to cry. 

"Why don't you come to Asturia with me for a while? A week or so?" Celena offered, finally speaking up. "You and Merle both; you could stay at the Schezar estate. Allen would be happy to see you again, Hitomi. It will give you some time away to calm down." 

"You know, you and Van-sama haven't been apart for a single day since you came here." Merle pondered. "Some time apart might do you good. You'll have a chance to calm down and think rationally about everything, and realize that not every bad thing that has happened in the history of Gaea is your fault." 

"And Van will have the chance to realize how much he misses you, and what an ass he's been." added Celena. 

"That sounds good, I suppose." said Hitomi, with a tinge of doubt. She knew Celena was right; there was no need to make a drastic decision so instantaneously. Going to Asturia seemed like a good idea, but she was still fearful of how everything would play out. 

"Excellent." said Celena. "We leave first thing in the morning, before the dawn. Don't worry about packing, Hitomi. Eries and I can lend you everything that you will need." 

"We best go to sleep now, so that we'll be well-rested for tomorrow's journey." said Merle. 

"I suppose I will leave you, then..." said Hitomi, rising out of her seat. 

"No." said Merle, "Sleep here. The bed is big enough for all three of us, and you shouldn't be alone." 

***

The light of the stars filtered in through the windows as Hitomi crawled beneath the covers, still in her regular clothes. Most of her possessions were in Van's room - nightshirts included - and she dared not venture there. She positioned herself on the left side of the bed, only a few uncomfortable inches from the edge. It was almost symbolic for the way she felt inside, though her intention was only to crowd out Celena and Merle as little as possible. 

"No, that's all wrong." said Merle, displeased. "That's my side. Move over!" Hitomi obeyed, inching all the way over to the other edge. 

"No, that's my side!" chided Celena, crawling in to her right. Hitomi tried to make herself small between them, and laid very still as not to disturb them, but Merle wouldn't have it. 

She snuggled up Hitomi in a manner which was very childish and innocent, draping one arm around her. Celena followed suite, laying her arm over Merle's. Hitomi inhaled deeply, a small but grateful smile forming on her lips. 

"Are there knights on the Mystic Moon?" asked Celena with curiosity. 

"Not really." said Hitomi. "There are still a few in some countries for strictly ceremonial purposes, but they don't have the real and important duties that you and Allen do." 

"Hmm. There aren't cat-girls either, I'm guessing?" Celena asked. 

"I don't think there are." said Merle. "You should have seen how much Hitomi gawked at me when she first came here. Isn't that right, Hitomi? Hitomi?" She poked at her with her free hand, to no avail. Hitomi had already fallen quite-soundly asleep. 

"Wow, that was fast!" exclaimed Merle, softly. "But I'm relieved. I expected her to be up all night with everything that's on her mind." 

"Sometimes it's nice to sleep and forget about it all." Celena whispered. 

"Yes, I suppose it is." Merle said. Wordlessly, she found Celena's hand resting across Hitomi's back. She threaded her fingers between Celena's, who responded by giving her hand a gentle squeeze. The night was silent except for the soft echo of their breath as they found that same peaceful sleep. 

***

It was late, and the last meals of the day had already been served. All the cooks had left, leaving Halena alone to clean the kitchen. Two guards who had just finished their shift stood outside the door, eating sandwiches. She recognized them as Direedus and Carnip. 

"The king really made some nasty work of that crazy guy who attacked him today, so I've heard?" asked Carnip. Halena's eyes went wide and her heart caught in her throat at the words. She paused from mopping the floor to listen in to the conversation. 

"Sliced his head clean off." affirmed Direedus, with much less amusement. Neither man paid any mind to the thud of Halena's mop as it slipped from her hands and hit the floor. "I was the first one on the scene. Van-sama was too shocked about the whole ordeal to do much of anything, and I was the one who had to clean up." 

"Who do you suppose he was?" asked Carnip. 

"None of us know." said Direedus. "I'm just hoping this isn't part of anything bigger. I curse the day I ever said that things weren't exciting enough around here. Van-sama could have died. That's not something that I ever want to happen. I would die protecting him." 

More words were exchanged between the two, but Halena didn't hear any of it. She was frozen where she stood, unable even to cry. Then again, she hadn't cried in as long as she could remember. She hadn't cried when Fanelia was razed and her family perished in the flames. She hadn't cried when she first inspected her reflection after that, and seen for the first time the deep, bruise-colored scars that ran all along the left side of her body. Or maybe she did cry, she realized as she searched her memory. She had stopped crying the day she met _him_. 

Kipalisa had been remarkably kind to her, but he was so much older than she was. She wanted him to see her as a woman, not just some sorry excuse for a little girl. She wanted to win his love. So she sucked up all her tears and ceased to shed them. She held her head up high and stayed cool regardless of what happened around her. Her efforts paid off. Kipalisa noticed. He took her in when his home was rebuilt. He told her of the secrets of the royal family and of his eventual plot to punish them for their wrongs. He grew to love her, and accepted her in spite of her disfiguring scars. 

She tried to have faith in him when he said he was going to kill the king, but somewhere in the back of her mind and heart she had been terrified. She had been terrified that it would come to this. Now all the terror was gone, leaving only a void in which the truth silently echoed. Kipalisa was dead. 

A slowly-trickling fountain of anger sprung within her mind and began to fill that void. "Gentlemen?" she asked the guards, poking her head out the door. 

"Hmm?" asked Direedus. 

"I am feeling ill. I don't think I will be able to finish my cleaning." 

"I'd believe it! You look as pale as a ghost." said Direedus, worried that perhaps the talk of the severed head had been too much for a gentle lady. "Just let the kitchen be, and go get some rest. I'll have someone explain that you fell ill to the cooks that come in the morning. They'll understand. It happens to us all." 

"I'll walk you to your room." Carnip offered. 

"Thank you, sir. You are too kind." Halena said. Her face and voice were cold and stoic, but the anger level within her was rising. She had aided Kipalisa in his secret fight against Van because she loved him, but now things were far more personal. Van would pay for what he did. Her position was actually a wonderful one in which to exact revenge. The blindly-devoted guards may have vowed to protect the king with their lives, but his death would be so quiet that none could come to his aid. 

***

Van was horribly hung-over in the morning, and his head throbbed all the more for the injury he had sustained the previous night. Sunlight offended his waking eyes, as he climbed out of bed. As he struggled to his feet, a note on the table caught his eye. He picked it up to read it. His eyes crossed; none of the letters made any sense. Perhaps it was written in the language of the Mystic Moon? It was a few moments before he realized that he had been reading upside-down. He turned the letter over. 

_Van-sama,_ it read, 

_Hitomi and I have gone back to Asturia with Celena-chan. We will be there for a week. Don't try to come after us. I hope you use the time to think long and hard about how you acted._

Merle 

He stared at the note, wondering vaguely what Merle was referring to before the past night's events flooded back to his mind. He smacked himself hard in the forehead, further-irritating the dull ache. Then he realized with relief that if Hitomi was in Asturia, she hadn't gone back to her world. The way he had behaved was disgusting, but at least he now had the chance to set things right. Maybe it was best this way; that she was away somewhere safe while they conducted an investigation in to the assassination attempt. Still, he would miss her, and he wouldn't be able to forgive himself until he saw her smiling again.  


~*~*~*~*~*~ 

**AN:** Only minor changes this time; mostly a bit of expansion upon Halena's character. This chapter is rather short, but I think that it still serves its purpose. 

**Song Quote:** "Jackie's Strength" by Tori Amos. 

**Site Plug:** http://www.opalwings.com/escaflowne


	6. In the Tides

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
**Beneath Two Moons  
6. In The Tides**  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
By Jessica Lynn S. (escaflowne@opalwings.com)  
~*~ 

**Spoilers:** The entire Escaflowne series. 

**Warnings:** Sensuality, _shoujo-ai_ (romance between two female characters), and a bit of violence. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. No profit is being made from my silly fanfiction hobby. ^_^ I do, however, own this fic and the original characters in contains. Please do not post this story anywhere without asking first. 

**Summary:** Hitomi finds temporary sanctuary with the Schezar family in Asturia. Allen wants to reach out to her but doesn't know how. Celena battles confusion over her emotions, and a day out is disrupted by a thieving dolphin-boy. Meanwhile, Van is left in Fanelia at the mercy of Halena. 

**Notes on the Revision:** This was a really pathetic excuse for a chapter the first time it was posted. It was too short, and the content left something to be desired. I've tried to flesh it out some, by depicting some romantic angst on the Merle and Celena end of things and also a bit of what was happening back in Fanelia. It's still not the longest or best chapter - to be honest, it will never be - but it's a bit better than before, I think.   


~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Van felt a bit queasy as he stared at the breakfast that Halena brought him. She raised an eyebrow at him as he rubbed his throbbing temples. "I have a headache." he explained rather lamely. Perceptive as she was, she saw right through it. 

"Hangover?" she asked him. He didn't answer. "It's nothing to be ashamed of." the maid said. "I know a very good herbal remedy for it. It will perk you up like nothing else. Shall I fix some up for you?" 

"I would appreciate that very much." said Van. He needed to be able to concentrate on the important tasks at hand, after all. Feeling nauseous and headachy wasn't conductive to progress. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Allen and Eries were the kind of couple that didn't speak very much to each other, but you got the impression that they knew each other so well they didn't have to. The fact that they loved each other went without saying, it was plain to see just in the smiles they exchanged. It was like all the important things had already been said between them, making way for a warm and comfortable silence. The two of them seemed at peace; untouchable. Watching them for too long served only to make Hitomi feel worse about her situation. 

It was Eries that greeted Hitomi, Merle and Celena at the door. Allen was out on duty somewhere for the afternoon. Eries had a bright and welcoming smile on her face and baby Lynn in her arms. She immediately handed over Lynn to Celena, who showed her to Hitomi with a proud grin. The baby girl had an amazingly full head of wavy blonde hair and deep, azure-blue eyes that twinkled mischievously. "Baabaa!" she exclaimed gleefully, grabbing Hitomi's nose. Hitomi couldn't help but smile, despite the nagging ache in the back of her heart. 

"Hitomi, is that you?" Eries asked, mildly surprised. Hitomi nodded. "Ah!" Eries said, "You so much more grown up! Welcome back to Gaea, and welcome to my home." Hitomi took notice that Eries looked different herself. 

The second princess of Asturia was dressed in a long, pale lavender dress which draped gracefully and fluidly from her stately form without ruffles or frills of any sort. Her trademark earcuffs were gone; understandable, for they were an accident waiting to happen around a grabby infant who knew no better. Eries was stripped of the layers and adornments which had been her armor, and seemed none-the-worse for it. Her posture was relaxed and her expression tranquil. Perhaps this was the benefit of motherhood, or of being with Allen, or maybe just freedom from her old life at the palace. 

"My apologies for the unexpected company." said Celena to Eries. "There were some...unexpected happenings in Fanelia. I should like to speak with you about them." 

"Not a problem." said Eries, with an affectionate ruffle of her sister-in-law's hair. "You have a good sense of judgment, and knowing that, I am worried as to what exactly happened in Fanelia. I'll have Anna get Hitomi and Merle settled in, and we can talk about it upstairs." 

Anna appeared in the foyer with a smile upon the mention of her name. She was a lively, raven-haired maid who was much older than Allen and Eries, and had probably been working at the Schezar estate since before they were born. She led Merle and Hitomi inside, making polite conversation about the weather and the gardens on the estate. She sat them down at a table with some hot tea and an ornate plate of fine Asturian pastries, then left them be. 

Hitomi inspected a pastry that looked like a glazed donut - minus the hole - and took a tentative bite. It was very sweet and pleasant to the taste, but she wasn't very hungry. That wasn't a good sign, considering that she hadn't even had breakfast. She forced herself to take another bite. Merle, after eating everything else on the dish, leaned back and looked at Hitomi with concern. "Hey, you okay, kid?" she asked. 

"Yeah, I'm okay." Hitomi answered. "Why are you calling me kid when I'm two years your senior?" She raised her eyebrow. 

"Sorry." Merle said, "That's always what Van says to me, so I suppose...oh." She saw Hitomi's face drop at the mention of Van, and smacked herself hard in the forehead. She looked over at Hitomi's donut. "You gonna eat that?" she asked. 

"No, it's all yours." said Hitomi with a disinterested wave of her hand. 

Merle did not speak anymore, for fear of putting her foot in her mouth again. Hitomi was staring around the room with wide eyes, taking in the decor. Finally, she commented. "Everything here is pastel, Merle." 

"You're right." Merle nodded decidedly, noting the pale blue carpet, even paler blue walls, and curtains and tablecloth of the softest yellows. "They suit the family, with their fair coloring." It was then that Celena walked in to the room. She had changed out of her uniform in to a rich maroon-colored dress which offset the pastel atmosphere with a contrast as bold as flames. She leaned casually against the door frame, totally unaware of the disruption of balance that her attire caused. 

"I explained the situation to Eries." she said with a cheery smile. "Everything is fine with the two of you staying here for a while." 

"Are you sure we're not burdening her too much?" asked Hitomi, concerned. 

"Ahh, I burden Eries all the time!" grinned Merle. "She takes it well." 

"Of course, tomorrow I must report to the palace to see what services Millernia requires of me now that I've returned." she sighed, then smiled again. "I shouldn't complain about the responsibility. I was the one who wanted it, with all of my heart. But what shall we do with my one free day?" 

"Hmm..." thought Merle, cocking her head. "We should go to the beach. We can take Lynn. I think she's old enough to enjoy it. What do you think, Hitomi?" 

"Hmm," Hitomi said, "the ocean would be nice." She could sit in the sand and let the saltwater tides come up to her shoulders, washing away all her cares like she used to do on Earth. 

"Then we can go to the marketplace!" added Celena, excitedly. "I can buy a nice big fish and cook it up for dinner. Don't look at me funny Merle, I may do a man's job, but that doesn't mean I can't cook! Anna has been teaching me." She stuck out her tongue. 

***  
_"It's just you and me  
On my island of hope  
A breath between us could be miles  
Let me surround you  
A sea to your shore  
Let me be the calm you seek"_  
***

Hitomi was wearing an Asturian-style swimming suit, borrowed from Celena. Like everything Asturian, it was just a bit fancier than need be; a checkered pattern of white and navy-blue with a white ruffled collar and skirt. She had a knit white blanket pulled over her shoulders to shield Lynn and herself from the rays of the sun, which was now hovering at the midpoint between it's noontime pinnacle in the atmosphere, and the horizon behind which would eventually sink. 

Apparently "baa" was Lynn's favorite word. "Baabaa baabaabaa!" the bright-eyed infant exclaimed excitedly, beating her tiny fists violently against the wet sand as Hitomi held her in her lap. Hitomi laughed and stroked Lynn's feather-soft hair back behind her ears. Holding the baby in her arms kicked in her latent maternal instincts, and had a surprisingly calming effect on her mind. 

"Lynn has all the coherency of her father." Celena joked. She and Hitomi were watching as Merle put the finishing touches on the sand castle she was building. 

"It looks just like the one in Fanelia..." Hitomi said approvingly. 

"You better watch out Merle," said Celena with a wry grin, "I just might burn it down!" 

"You wouldn't, after all the time I spent on it!" Merle warned. 

Celena took that as a challenge. "Wanna make a bet?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. She jumped to her feet and rushed the castle. "Moero, moero, hahaha!" 

Merle tackled her to the ground. "I may not have a guymelef to protect it with, but you're not laying a hand my castle, Dilandu!" she retorted melodramatically, chomping down on Celena's shoulder. 

"Ouch!" exclaimed Celena, momentarily loosing her Dilandu-esque facade, "that hurt!" The two of them rolled in the sand, vying for dominance. At one point they almost fell on Hitomi, making her very nervous for Lynn's well-being. She scooped up the baby and relocated herself at the very edge of the salty water, allowing Lynn to splash in it, which she did quite gleefully. 

"Isn't this nice?" she asked the baby. 

"Baaaaaaaaaa!" Lynn responded. Hitomi laughed. The afternoon was turning out to be a very welcome distraction, despite the new set of worries that being in Asturia presented for her. It had been years since she had declined Allen's engagement, but in the time since then, they spoke only briefly and in the company of others. He seemed happy with Eries, and if Eries had known about his past with Hitomi, it obviously didn't phase her. To accept Allen, after all, would be to accept his past with Marlene as well, which was far worse. He was very lucky to have such an understanding wife. 

Still, it was anyone's guess what Allen and Eries truly thought of her. Perhaps they were just too polite to show their displeasure. Hitomi shook her head, banishing the thoughts. She'd been feeling as if she'd displeased a lot of people lately. She tried hard to remember the lesson she learned long ago that doubt only complicated matters. 

She turned to look at Merle and Celena, who were still locked in the battle for the fate of the sand castle. In the end, it was Merle who kicked it over, accidentally, amidst the writhing and thrashing in the sand. Celena fell in to her arms in peels of laughter. "Not funny!" Merle insisted. "I worked hard on that." 

"Silly girl." Celena said, propping herself up on her elbows and brushing sand from the tip of Merle's nose. "The tide would have washed it away anyway." Her long, ash-blonde hair formed a curtain around the collective of their faces. She gazed in to Merle's blue eyes with intent; almost as if she were searching for something there, something unnamed and unspoken. Hitomi suddenly felt as if she shouldn't be watching, and turned her attention back to the rolling waves in the distance. 

"You know, it's almost frightening when you talk like Dilandu," Merle whispered, "because you can sound exactly like he did. I didn't see much of him during the war, if at all. But I did hear his voice on a few occasions. That voice - that high-pitched cackle - still sends chills up my spine." 

Celena smiled antagonistically, leaning in just a bit closer. "Did you think he was sexy?" she asked Merle, once again taking on the tone of her no-longer-existent alter-ego. 

Merle blinked as if she was totally taken aback by the question. Celena was only inches away from her, and her sapphire eyes were piercing and pensive all at once. The cat-girl shook her head no, her expression communicating confusion as to why Celena would ask such a question. Celena was her friend and she loved her dearly, but Dilandu had burnt down Fanelia. Her feelings toward him were quite different. 

"So, you wouldn't want me if I were a man?" Celena asked, her breath warm and ragged on Merle's cheek. 

"Celena, what kind of a question is that??" Merle demanded with wide eyes. 

"I...don't know." said Celena. Her eyelids and the corners of her mouth drooped as her smirk faded almost instantly to a somber expression. She sat up, releasing Merle, and looked away. "Dilandu was a horrible person, and I don't know why I even brought him in to this conversation." She stared down at the palms of her hands as if they held all the secrets of the universe. 

Merle tapped Celena on the shoulder. "What is it?" Celena asked softly. 

"You think too much." Merle said, while simultaneously dropping a fistful of sand down the front of Celena's swimsuit. 

"Hey, no fair!" said Celena, snapping out of her sudden moodiness. "I'll get you for that!" 

***

Eries was rather glad that Celena and her guests had taken the baby with them for the afternoon. Since she had become a mother, free time was a rarity for her. She stood at the window, staring out at the garden. Large, fluffy pink blossoms dominated the scenery. Now that she had some free time, she didn't really know what to do with it. When she heard the door creak open, she assumed that it was just one of the maids, coming to dust the room. But in moments she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and soft breath on the back of her neck and decided otherwise. She did not even need to turn around to know. She reached up her hand and stroked the side of Allen's face, then rested it on his shoulder. 

"Hello beautiful." he whispered, gently placing the palm of his hand over the back of hers. "Is our daughter sleeping?" 

"Celena took her to the beach. Merle's there with her. So is Hitomi." Eries answered. 

"Hitomi?" Allen asked, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Why isn't she in Fanelia?" 

Eries sighed. "Apparently, Van was a bit out of sorts last night and was cruel to her. She's reconsidering their engagement." 

Allen let go of Eries' hand and balled his own in to a fist. "He has no right to hurt Hitomi!" he growled under his breath. 

"Easy Allen." Eries said, working her fingers in-between his to unfold his clasped hand. "It's between lovers, and it won't do any good if you interfere, no matter how good your intentions. Celena brought Hitomi here so she wouldn't make a rash decision to go back to her world. All we can do is make her comfortable and hope that they can work things out when she goes back. Just be Hitomi's friend, like you used to." 

Allen sighed, temporarily defeated, resting his chin on the back of her shoulder. Eries was always the voice of reason. "Let's join them at the beach." he suggested. "I think both of us could use a nice outing." 

She brought his fingers to her lips and kissed them. "I'd rather take advantage of the fact that we're alone for once." she whispered with a grin. 

"Eries..." Allen mumbled softly in to the back of her neck, "I rather like that idea." 

***

The sun was setting above the draping canopies of the marketplace and business was dwindling rapidly for the merchants. In hopes of liquidating their perishable goods before the day was entirely through, they engaged in loud shouting matches with one another, each boasting to have the better deal on any given item. Celena, having changed back in to her maroon dress, walked amongst the stands with her friends, inspecting the fish that were up for sale. After a bit of consideration, she settled on one that was no shorter than five feet long; sure to make a fine meal big enough to feed her family and guests. She produced several coins from the tote slung over her shoulder to pay. 

The coastal community of Palas ate, drank, slept, dreamed and breathed seafood though Celena wasn't horribly fond of it herself. She figured that fish was an acquired taste, and having grown up away from Asturia, she hadn't acquired it. Merle, cat that she was, relished fish unabashedly. She realized, with slight guilt, that Merle was the one whom she was doing this for. She didn't even know of Hitomi liked fish... 

No sooner had the merchant handed the fish over, though, than a young dolphin-boy came walking up to the group. He looked at Celena, cocked his head, and made a high-pitched chattering sound. Then, without warning, he took the fish - which was longer than he was tall - in his bill and began to run. Celena and Hitomi stared, dumbfounded. Merle, on the other hand, jumped to action. "Just where do you think you're going with our fish?!" she demanded loudly, taking off after him as fast as her feet could carry her. Celena shook her head at the sight. Hitomi suppressed a giggle. 

"We better just wait here," Celena said. "Merle will find her way back here. Want to take bets on whether or not she manages to retrieve the fish?" Hitomi did let loose a small laugh, then shifted Lynn in her arms, sitting down on the sidewalk. 

"It would be a pity if she didn't, considering what you paid for it." Hitomi said. 

"It would be worth it for the sheer entertainment value." Celena insisted. Lynn suddenly broke in to a wailing cry. 

"Oh my..." sighed Celena, reaching in to her tote to retrieve a bottle. "Mommy will feed you some real food when we get back, but this will have to do for now." She relieved Hitomi of her self-imposed baby-sitting duties and scooped up Lynn, rocking her back and forth in her arms. Hitomi thought briefly of Yukari, Amano, and their unborn child. She really missed them sometimes. 

Further in to the marketplace, onlookers gawked at the sight of a cat-girl chasing a dolphin -boy through the streets, shouting curses at him at the top of her lungs. Many had to step quickly out of the way to avoid a collision, and a few weren't so lucky, toppled by the boy's gigantic fish. They blinked a few times, shrugged their shoulders and went about their business. 

***  
_"And every time I'm close to you  
There's too much I can't say  
And you just walk away"_  
***

Allen looked up from the magazine he was reading to see his sister return carrying Lynn, followed by Hitomi, Merle and...a dolphin-boy? His eyes went wide. 

"Hi Allen!" exclaimed Merle, gleefully. "This is Morris. I met him in the marketplace. He's an orphan, so I'm taking him back to Fanelia. I am going to find someone who will take him as an apprentice, so that he can learn a trade and make an honest living for himself. Then he won't have to steal peoples' fish anymore. In the meantime, I hope you don't mind if he stays here...he's a good boy. He'll be real quiet." Morris chirped gleefully at Allen. 

Celena looked at her older brother very, very nervously. She had known it would have been impossible to talk Merle out of this whole dolphin idea, but obviously, once Merle left she'd be getting the flack for it. She sighed. 

Allen turned to Eries and whispered, "Is this our retribution for one afternoon of passionate lovemaking?" Eries gave him and equally frustrated glance. 

"I'll talk to Celena about it when they leave." she whispered. 

Celena's frusturation increased over the course of the evening. It was the last night she'd get to spend with her family and friends before returning back to work. Work was usually welcome, but not when it kept her from the chance to spend time with Merle. Merle, however, did not seem to be quite as interested in spending time now as she had before. She had taken it upon herself to teach Morris to speak in their language rather than his native chirping and gibbering. She'd hold up an object, state its name, and encourage Morris to repeat it. 

Celena could only sit back, watch and sigh. She hated playing second-fiddle to a fish - or rather, an aquatic mammal - though she could imagine that wasn't far from how Merle had felt when she decided to become a Caeli. 

Friends grew apart all the time as they grew up, got jobs, and started families...didn't they? It was just the natural course of things. However, Celena remembered Merle's slumped shoulders and far-off expression as they sat on the rooftop of the caste in Fanelia. Though the cat-girl tried to hide it, she had been feeling genuinely sad, and perhaps even a bit hurt by the way things had turned out. It seemed as if things between the two of them had gone completely wrong. 

It suddenly occured to Celena that back on the beach, instead of making references to Dilandu, she should have just leaned in and kissed Merle. Maybe that could have shown how genuinely sorry she was for the world that had come between them. Maybe it could have shown how she desperately desired to stay close to her best friend. Or maybe Hitomi's earlier speculations as to the nature of their relationship was messing with her mind. She didn't know. 

The young Asturian woman knew nothing of romance, but she had a strange inkling that she was supposed to want to kiss boys, not girls. Then again, she had been a boy once, and not a particuarly innocent boy, at that. If Dilandu's experiences could be considered her own, then she could not be called a virgin. She mulled over that thought in her mind before remembering something she'd almost forgotten; Dilandu had liked boys. 

If Dilandu had liked boys, then how could Celena like girls? It was horribly baffling, but she choose not to think on it any longer. She was fairly certain Merle _did_ like boys, and thought of kissing them, among other activities. She was also fairly certain that the cat-girl would have no particular desire to kiss her. She sighed regretfully. 

Celena retired early that evening, feeling that watching Merle enthusiastically attempt communication with the dolphin-boy wasn't going to help her mood any. 

***

Hitomi had been in Asturia for three days, and she was quiet. As far as Allen was concerned, she was too quiet. He wondered exactly what Van had done to bring about this separation. Either Celena hadn't told Eries the full story, or Eries had just chosen not to tell him the full story. The later was likely, as Eries knew how angry he'd get. He had very strong protective tendencies toward all women, but especially those he cared about. Though he and Hitomi were no longer close - and though it was none of his business whatsoever - he still wanted to pin Van against a wall by his throat and threaten his reproductive future. 

After dinner that evening, he found Hitomi alone by the fireplace in the den, wearing borrowed clothes and, staring in to the dancing flames. It was obvious in her expression that she wasn't aware of his presence, otherwise she would have quickly masked the sadness that was now shinning through clearly as day in her sea-green irises, painted in dusky red shadows by the fire. He wanted to say something to her - anything that might help even in the slightest to ease the pain and anxiety she was feeling - but he did not know what to say to her now. Things had been strained between them since abrupt end of their short-lived relationship back before he had fallen in love with Eries. Eries had told him he could help simply by being Hitomi's friend like he used to. He wasn't sure how to do that now. 

Hitomi must have heard his sharp and nervous breath, as she turned her head to face him. 

Her eyes glimmered in the firelight with the small remainders of what might have been tears. "Allen?" 

"Hitomi." he said. He gracefully swung his legs over the arm of the couch she was sitting on and sat beside her, maintaining a respectful distance. "We haven't really talked in a long time, you know. But I don't want you to think that because of...what happened...that I don't consider you a friend anymore. I will always be grateful for how much you've helped me." Upon hearing those words, Hitomi swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. The corners of her mouth quivered slightly. "What is on your mind?" Allen asked. 

She sighed, giving few words in response. "Fanelia. Van. The future." 

He reached out an arm tentatively, offering her a hug. She accepted and collapsed against his shoulder. Though she had never loved - and would never love - Allen as she loved Van, she still found the same comfort in his embrace as she had when they first met. It took her mentally back to the time he had found her in the woods after she was separated from what little security Van offered; alone, confused and afraid on an unfamiliar planet. Though she was not in the woods and Gaea was no longer an unfamiliar world, she felt that same fear and confusion, and with his hand stroking her hair lightly she felt just a little bit of it abate. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. 

***

Hitomi awoke in the guest room she was using. She must have drifted off to sleep in Allen's arms, and he must have carried her to bed. That was so like him. Though they had barely spoken, she no longer felt strange about being near him. He was the same Allen he used to be before the proposal and her refusal, and she was thankful for his friendship. She was thankful that he hadn't made her talk about things as Merle had. He'd just offered her the comfort she so-desperately needed. Without thinking about it, she gently clutched her hand around the pendant that hung from her neck; the pendant Van had given back to her only weeks ago. 

Suddenly, a familiar voice entered her mind. _Hitomi? Hitomi, can you hear me? Does this really work? Hitomi, please...I've been wanting to talk to you. I miss you._

"Van?" she asked, surprised. 

_ No, silly, it's only your long-lost best friend. Did you really forget me so quickly? _

"Yukari??" 

_ Yep._

"Don't say such a thing! I could never, ever, ever forget you." Hitomi frowned at the mere thought. Yukari seemed to sense her sadness. 

_ Hitomi, are you all right? _

"I'm not sure, Yukari." she whispered hesitantly. "I don't know what's happening anymore, but I may...I may come home." 

_ Did you and Van have a fight? _

"You could say that, Yukari." 

_ Well, it's about damn time, really! _

"What??" 

_ You two are abnormal, you know. It's been four years, FOUR YEARS, and though you may have been uncertain sometimes, I never heard of you having an argument with him. Well, not since that first time you were on Gaea. I understand you guys fought a few times then... Amano and I started fighting around four months. Were you that afraid of loosing each other that you glossed over every last bit of negativity?_

"I...I never stopped to think about it that way." said Hitomi. "But it wasn't really a regular argument. I found him drunk in his room. He told me to leave, then he started touching me, I asked him to stop and he asked me to leave again... Then he slammed me down on to the bed, like he was really angry, and I slapped him." 

_ Amano was unfaithful to me. _

"Whoa...what?" 

_ When he started his new job. He wasn't totally and completely unfaithful to me, you know? But he went out drinking with some co-workers when he first started his new job, and one woman kissed him, and one thing led to another. She was in his lap, and had his hand in her shirt... The worst part about it was he never told me that it happened. I found out from a friend who had also been at the bar that night. _

"What did you do?" 

_ Well, I broke up with him. Our separation lasted about five days. You were away on holiday with your family at the time, and I didn't want to tell you when you got back, because I thought you'd be angry at me for taking him back after he did something so disgusting. Every single day he'd be at my doorstep with flowers, stammering apologies, and every day I'd slam the door shut in his face. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I let him in and I listened to what he had to say. I was the only girlfriend he'd ever had, and he was starting to wonder what he'd be missing if he spent his entire life with the same person. But he told me that when he was groping that woman, he looked up in to her eyes and thought "What the hell is wrong with me? This isn't Yukari, and I love Yukari!" And then he stopped. _

After he told me this story, he pleaded with me not to leave him, not after he had finally realized how important I was to him. And he whipped out a ring and proposed to me. 

"That's how you got engaged? I thought you got engaged at the winter festival." 

_ No, I told him I wouldn't answer until he had proven that I could trust him again. After that, he got really serious. He never went near that co-worker again. He worked very hard at his job, and took me out at expensive restaurants where we'd never been before. He bought me flowers all the time. It was three months later at the winter festival, under a sky lit with fireworks that he proposed again, just like I had told you. _

Hitomi was silent. 

_ The point is, silly head, that people mess up sometimes, even if they really do love you. It doesn't mean that things have to be over forever. Don't get me wrong Hitomi. I love you, and I would love to have you back. It's just that I don't want to see you throw away something that has made you so incredibly happy without giving it at least one more chance. But if he does become a total ass, then you better get your ass back here, or I'll teleport to Gaea myself and kick it. _

"You have a point. Yukari?" 

_ Hmm? _

"Thank you, very much." 

_ Any time._

"How have you been?" 

_ Good. I'm blowing up like a house though. _

"I wish I could see." Hitomi giggled. 

_ No, I assure you, you don't. You'd laugh at me too much. _

After the telepathic conversation, Hitomi felt as if a giant weight were lifted from her shoulders. Yukari's insight in to her relationship with Van rang true. Back in the days of the war, arguments and sarcastic banter were common between the two of them. It was after Van proposed to her that they suddenly became to painfully careful with each other. It was almost like the dynamics of their relationship had been entirely reversed; from hiding their true romantic feelings while adamantly sharing their displeasure, to showing their love quite freely, but casting aside any unpleasantness. 

Holding back any emotion too much was unhealthy. Now that they were - hopefully - to marry, they'd both have to learn a new concept known as totally honest communication. 

Now Hitomi had a new resolve to go back to Fanelia and talk things over with Van, so much that it seemed almost urgent. He couldn't have acted the way he did for absolutely no reason. He must have been troubled by something, just as Amano had, and she needed to know what that was. She was sure that she could talk Merle in to going home the next morning. She was also sure that Eries and Allen wouldn't object. They had said it was no problem, but she had seen the looks in their eyes when Morris had broken one of their lamps by balancing a ball on the tip of his nose and bucking it in to the air in typical dolphin fashion. Celena might be disappointed, but she'd understand. She spent the majority of the past few days working anyway. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Van laid in bed beneath a crumpled blanket, beads of sweat running down his face as he shivered feverishly. To say that he was unwell was an understatement. It seemed as if illness had picked up where his hangover had left off the day Hitomi left for Asturia, and it was all downhill from there. At first he thought it was simply the pangs of guilt eating away at his insides, but he was soon confined to his room, throwing up on an hourly basis. Halena had personally seen to his care, bringing him more of her herbal remedies. He doubted they were really helping. Nothing was right in the world. 

Sometime in mid-morning, he heard the knob of his door turn and its hinges creak. He lifted his head to see Hitomi standing hesitantly in the doorway. Despite the greasiness blurring his eyes and the heaviness of their lids, they still lit a few shades brighter upon seeing her again. "Hitomi..." he whispered, weakly yet desperately, "Thank god you're here. Thank god you're back. I'm so, so sorry for everything that happened. It's good you came, because...I think I'm dying." He felt his stomach retch, and leaned over the side of the bed to empty its contents in to the pan Halena had left there for him. Hitomi walked to his side, shaking her head with disappointment. 

"Don't be silly Van, you're not dying." she said dismissively. She proceeded to search the immediate area for bottles of vino, but found none. She felt his forehead. This time, he actually did feel warm. Very warm. He was really sick this time, as opposed to drunk. A wave of panic surged through her, but she pushed it down as best she could. Halena walked in then. Hitomi turned to look at her. 

"How long has he been like this?" she asked her handmaiden, trying to sound as calm as possible. 

"Since...about a day after you left." Halena replied. "Van-sama," she said to the king, "I brought you some more tea." 

"I don't think I can keep it down, Halena." Van said. 

"Please, Van-sama..." Halena reasoned, "Drink the tea. It might not feel very good right now, but it will help in the long run." A light bulb switched on somewhere in the back of Hitomi's mind as she recalled Merle's words; _I don't trust her, at all._ "If he doesn't want the tea, Halena, I'll take it." she said. Halena handed over the cup with an unmistakably frightened look in her eyes. Hitomi took a sip. "This tastes a little funny," she said, glaring daggers at the maid. She took another small sip. "No, this isn't like the tea you've served me at all." 

Van was listening to the conversation, but Hitomi's words weren't registering. He was horribly puzzled when, without warning, Hitomi threw the hot liquid in to the handmaiden's face. Halena screamed and turned tail to run from the room, but in an instant Hitomi had jumped on her, pinning her to the floor. Halena's face hit the hard stone with a loud smack. 

"Just what the hell do you think you were doing?" Hitomi demanded. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" She yanked Halena's head up by her hair, and then smacked it hard in to the floor again. Halena was practically frozen with terror. Van vaguely wondered what was going on. His head hurt. His mind warped the sounds of the commotion around him, making it sound not unlike a flock of flapping and squaking chickens. Allen and Merle came running in to the room upon hearing the sounds of conflict. Allen had escorted Hitomi back to Fanelia in the Crusade, and they had been waiting just down the hallway to make sure that everything was okay. 

"I poisoned him because I wanted vengeance." Halena whispered suddenly. "For my love, the man that Van killed in the garden." With that, her body went limp beneath Hitomi's weight, indicating her surrender. 

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

**AN:** I am not entirely sure what posessed me to have the budding romantic interest between Merle and Celena in this fic. The only thing I'd ever seen featuring them as a couple before was a badly-written yuri lemon. In my fic "It's All to Make Us Shine" I decided to make them friends, and when I went deeper in to their friendship in "Fire and Feline", it suddenly occured to me that, _hey_ the two of them as a couple might just be weird enough to work! I might be verging on the lemony side of things with Hitomi and Van (I just can't help myself!) but I'm not going to do that with M & C, in case anyone was worried that they'd be reading graphic descriptions of two girls getting it on in later chapters. I intend to keep things cute and PG-rated between the two of them. Mebbe PG-13 if anything. 

By the way, special thanks to everyone who's supported this unconventional idea. I was a little worried that I'd be met with criticism when I unleashed it upon the world, but the reviews have been fantastic. 

**Song Quotes:** Both are from "I Love You" by Sarah McLachlan. 

**Site Plug:** http://www.opalwings.com/escaflowne


	7. Scorched Innocence

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
**Beneath Two Moons  
7. Scorched Innocence**  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
By Jessica Lynn S. (escaflowne@opalwings.com)  
~*~ 

**Spoilers:** The entire Escaflowne series. 

**Warnings:** Sensuality, _shoujo-ai_ (romance between two female characters), and a bit of violence. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. No profit is being made from my silly fanfiction hobby. ^_^ I do, however, own this fic and the original characters in contains. Please do not post this story anywhere without asking first. 

**Summary:** Hitomi rushes to save Van's life, but what of their relationship? What of Halena, who lays helpless in the dungeon, tormented by memories of her past? 

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** So I don't confuse you; this chapter was formerly entitled "Damage Control." It's contents have been changed drastically, at least regarding Halena. Her interactions with Hitomi will be moved up to the next chapter. I felt I needed to expand upon the situation. 

Note also, that with the posting of the next chapter, I will be changing my pen name (most likely to StarCollision.) If I am in your favorite stories or favorite authors, you won't have a problem finding me, but otherwise, if you want to be informed of the change, _please e-mail me._   


~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Merle and Allen couldn't hear much from where they stood in the hallway, but they figured that was a good thing. They assumed that Van and Hitomi were working things out, until a loud "thunk!" and a shout of "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" rang out through the castle, echoing harshly off the walls. They shot each other mortified glances and rushed to the scene, which was not the scene that they were expecting to find. 

The fight was not between Hitomi and Van at all. In fact, Van was curled up in his bed, all but hidden beneath several layers of blankets. He looked as if he was in a daze. Meanwhile, Hitomi looked as if she had succumbed to demonic possession. She had Halena pinned on the floor and was alternating between screaming at and slapping her as the maid struggled unsuccessfully to break free. But when Halena said "I poisoned him..." everything came together in their minds, and the cat-girl and Caeli knight clicked in to high gear. 

Hitomi backed away from Halena as Allen pulled her roughly to her feet. "Find a guard and tell them to stick her in the dungeon!" Hitomi barked in command, before giving the girl one last, hard slap to the face. Allen winced inwardly at the sight of such violence being committed towards a female-- even if it was by another female. But he said nothing; the handmaiden had committed a horrible crime and he supposed that Hitomi did have a right, in this unique circumstance. He held Halena's arms behind her back and lead her from the room as he was ordered. 

Halena cast her eyes down to the stone floor, making no attempt to break free. Her muscles had gone slack and her posture radiated submission, but no one really paid much mind to her as she was ushered out the door. Hitomi rushed back to Van's side and shot a glance to Merle, her anxious green eyes conveying terrible urgency. 

"Van-sama?" Merle asked uncertainly, looking at her dear friend from across the room. She was met with no answer from the king. His eyes fixed straight ahead of him and he stretched out his arm, fingers clasping desperately at the air, as if he were trying to grab hold of some hallucinated object. 

"I don't know where to take him, but he needs medical care." Hitomi stated the obvious. 

"He needs gurar." Merle corrected, matter-of-factly. "And I am going to get some, right now. In the meantime, make sure you keep his temperature down." She scurried out and slammed the door. Gurar leaves were usually stocked in the castle's kitchen, but she found none there. Halena had most-likely disposed of them. _Wench._

Merle made a mental note to go down in the dungeon later and slap that girl around far worse than Hitomi had. But at the time being, saving Van's life was a far more pressing matter. She had to go out to one of the merchants that sold herbs in the city. Thankfully, they weren't too far away, and one of them was bound to have what she needed in stock. Earlier that morning, Merle had pleaded with Hitomi to stay in Asturia a little longer, and was now feeling horribly guilty for it. If she had convinced Hitomi to stay, they would have definitely come back too late. Maybe she shouldn't have agreed to go to Asturia at all. She berated herself inwardly and ran as fast as her legs could carry her, trying to drown out the thoughts of what might happen if she didn't make it back fast enough. 

Meanwhile, Allen had returned to Van's room to find Hitomi dousing the king's forehead with a wet cloth. Van writhed and muttered something incoherent, and though Allen could have sworn it was something about chickens, he sternly prohibited himself from taking amusement in it. Hitomi explained how Merle had run out for the medicinal leaves and Allen sat down in a chair, shaking his head at the situation. "It hasn't been the best of weeks for you, has it, Hitomi?" he offered with a sympathetic smile. 

He felt utterly useless in the face of this particular situation, but nonetheless, he wanted to help in any way that he could. He expressed quite clearly to Hitomi that he intended to stay in Fanelia until the matter was resolved. The harsh realities of his own life forced him to be realistic about the situation. Silently and secretly, he knew that if the king died, Hitomi would need all the help that she could get. He wasn't going to gloss over that possibility. He hoped and prayed for all he was worth that things wouldn't come to that. Though he looked unfavorably upon Van's recent actions, Van was still his friend. Hitomi acknowledged Allen's smile with one of her own that seemed incredibly forced, then turned her attention back to Van. A poignant silence settled upon the room. 

About twenty minutes later, Merle burst in and breathlessly deposited a small bag in Hitomi's hands before her legs gave out from under her due to sheer exhaustion. She had pushed her body to its limits and Allen was given a new duty; carrying the cat-girl off to her own room where she could rest. Hitomi wasted no time administering the leaves to Van. The royal physician was called in, but he said that there was nothing more which could be done. They had to wait for the gurar to take effect and keep Van as cool and comfortable as possible. The worst threat to his life was the fever which the poison had induced. That had to be watched closely. 

The adrenaline levels of everyone in the castle were on high. Hitomi refused to leave Van's side even for a moment, so Merle filled the king's shoes temporarily, taking care of the most important matters of the day and putting the rest aside for another time. Allen questioned the guards about the previous attempt on Van's life, and addressed the security issues of the castle. After that was settled, he alternated between awkward attempts to reassure Hitomi - which did not seem to alter her mood in the slightest - and pacing. Lots and lots of pacing. 

***  
_"There's a rhyme and reason  
To the wild outdoors  
When the heart of this star-crossed voyager  
Beats in time with yours"_  
***

Everything was silent. Silent and dark and still, but warm. Van's eyes flickered open. Only a small sliver of the Mystic Moon was peeking out from behind the clouds outside the window. The tiny bit of light it reflected filtered through the glass, casting a pale golden illumination upon the edges of the dark, abstract sillouhettes which made up the room. One such sillouhette rose and fell like the tides of the ocean with a slow and steady rhythm. It was Hitomi, sleeping soundly beside him. She had come back, though the details of it all were still fuzzy in his mind. 

He remembered her exchanging words with Halena, words he did not understand, then lifting his head to see the handmaiden pinned face-down on the floor. He remembered Allen and Merle appearing in the doorway then. He remembered Allen yanking the maid to her feet and leading her away, arms bound behind her back. He remembered Merle and Hitomi running to his side. He remembered drifting in and out of a feverish consciousness, the images of his surroundings blurring and whirling wildly before his eyes. He remembered the acrid taste of bile in his mouth, for it was all that was left inside him. He remembered the distinct thought that he was going to die. 

Then he remembered someone slipping something through his lips. The taste was bitter on his tongue and he had wanted to spit it out, but he hadn't the energy. "Please Van, please chew it. Swallow it down." He remembered Hitomi's hand clasping his, her palms sweating and fingers trembling, and her other hand stroking his face, pressing lightly on his jaw to coax him. The jumbled memories danced like a chaotic kaleidoscope, then suddenly clicked in to focus, coming together to form a perfectly clear picture of the day's events. Gurar leaves! The antidote for poison... Halena had been trying to poison him with her tea! She had said something about the man he killed in the garden, what exactly, he was unsure. 

He remembered that day, not so long ago, when he had laid in bed hating himself for the swift decapitation of his assassin and drinking himself in to a stupor. He remembered how he'd tried to hide it from Hitomi and how he had treated her when she came to him with genuine concern for his well-being. He remembered how her hand had struck his face, and how she'd fled to Asturia with Merle and Celena. But despite all of that, she came back. She came back and saved his life. She had been by his side the entire time since. He remembered her dabbing his forehead, face and throat with a cool cloth. He remembered her warm limbs wrapped around his body as the gurar and the poison fought for dominance in his bloodstream, wracking him with icy chills. He remembered her voice soft in his ear; desperate and pleading words he couldn't understand. 

He looked up once again at the moon, and judging from its position in the sky, he could tell it was in the early hours of the morning. Dawn would soon be upon them. Despite the vigilance of the watch she'd kept over him, Hitomi had finally surrendered herself to well-deserved sleep. She was on her side, facing him, and he reached out towards her hesitantly. He weakly stroked a fingertip over her closed eyelids and down the side of her face, careful not to wake her. He then slid his hand beneath the collar of her shirt, pressing his palm against her breastbone. Her skin was warm and he could feel the gentle pulsing of her heart beneath it. He closed his eyes, and that heartbeat was all there was. 

He remembered pressing the heels of his hands in to her chest there, pumping firmly and desperately in time with the rhythm of his own heart in order to restart hers in the Freidian dungeon. He remembered holding her hand through the bars of a cage in the Zaibach empire, both their free hands clutched to their chests as they felt the pain of Escaflowne's energist stone being torn from it, and fought to control the guymelef from afar. One could say that the organ responsible for circulating all of the body's blood and infusing it with life-giving oxygen had no real connection to love; it only fluttered in response to the adrenaline of the emotion. But Van and Hitomi had kept each other's hearts from stopping forever on several occasions, and this was another to add to the list. 

Their relationship hadn't had a normal start at all. Back in those days, they were always saving each other's lives, but never admitting to their true feelings. The few times Van came close, he had become insecure and said something horrible to cover his tracks. His pathetic attempts to cover up the assassination attempt (well, the first one) hadn't been much different. She had slapped him and ran out on him, like an echo of their past. But yet, she had come back. Warm, sentimental tears rolled down his cheeks as, without thinking clearly, he reached out and pulled Hitomi's body tightly to his. Without realizing what was going on, Hitomi lashed out her hand towards him, her palm catching his cheek. 

Van gaze a small laugh. "That is always how you showed me you loved me." he whispered. 

She blinked her eyes open. "Van? You're awake?" She didn't give him time to answer before asking another question. "Van? Why was your hand in my shirt?!" 

He turned his eyes away from her, sheepishly. "I...I wanted to feel your heart." he said softly, pressing his firmly in to the place where they'd rested to convey his sincerity. 

"Hmm..." she said, then pulled out of his grip, rolling over to face away from him. "You have a lot of explaining to do, Van Slanzer Fanel." 

"Eee...you sound like my mother!" Van said. He sighed. "But you're right, Hitomi, I do. And I will explain it all. Just please, turn around again?" 

"Keep your hands off my chest?" 

"I already said it wasn't like that! But, that's fair enough, I suppose..." 

She rolled over again, and stared searchingly in to his eyes, keeping a considerable distance between their two bodies. 

"God, where should I begin?" Van muttered to himself, feeling uncomfortable beneath her piercing gaze. "Okay, well, the day before you left...I was really, really happy. I was walking in the garden like I usually do, talking to Folken's statue." He blushed slightly. "I do that sometimes." he stammered quickly in explanation. "Anyway, out of nowhere, this man ran at me, swinging his sword. Without even thinking about it, I drew my own sword and well...well... I lopped off his head, fast and clean. All of that happiness faded. I could try for hours but still not be able to fully explain how I felt about the incident. I was really shaken." 

Hitomi had uttered a surprised gasp and the revelation. "So that's what Halena was talking about..." she whispered. "We haven't sent anyone down to question her yet. I barely even thought of that with all that's been happening..." 

Van continued his story. "I felt horrible that I killed him. Sure, he tried to kill me, but when I think back...if I had been thinking clearly at the time, I could have captured him, learned his motives, and had him tried for a fair punishment. Hitomi, I'm so sorry for hiding it from you. I know if I would have talked to you about it, you would have made me feel so much better. You've always had a knack for that, you know? But...I couldn't bring myself to. There was that guilt factor, but I was worried for you, too. I was worried, what if this were part of a larger plot? What if there were further attempts? What if you were endangered? I remember the war and how you were always trying to put yourself in harm's way for me. I didn't want you to do that again. I didn't want you to decide to start reading those cards again, and having those visions... Even if, some day, another war breaks out in Gaea, I still don't want you to go through that again." 

He reached out and clutched her hand desperately, and let out a soft whimper, at which point Hitomi became aware that he was crying. She felt her chest tighten at the realization, and she wanted nothing more than to hold him and tell him everything was okay, but she bit down on her lip and said what she really needed to say. "So you got snappy with me instead, even a little bit violent, and then when I left for a few days you were stupid enough to get yourself poisoned? Totally unacceptable. Do you have any idea that you almost died? If I had come even an hour later; if your fever had climbed even a degree higher..." She didn't finish the sentence. His hands clasped hers even tighter, and though she'd made no effort to disengage him, she let her fingers lay slack, not returning his grip. 

Van was silent except for one sharp, sniffling inhalation. "Thank you for saving me." he whispered, finally. "I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble." 

"Don't think that I am just going to let this slide." Hitomi said sternly. 

"I...I don't want you to leave me." Van whispered. "I can't blame you if you do, but if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just let me know. If there's anything you want, say the word and it's yours." 

Hitomi closed the distance between them brushed her lips over his cheek, sticky with tears. He let go of her hand to stroke her face, and shivered upon finding the warm, salty remains of tears there as well. "You've been crying too." he observed ruefully. "You just hid it better than I did." She let out an abrupt sniffle. 

"How am I not supposed to cry after all of this?" she asked, the sound of tears now painfully evident in her voice. She laid her head on his chest, a few tears falling on his shirt, which already smelled of dried-out sweat and could not get much dirtier. Apparently, in her emotional distress, Hitomi's sense of smell failed her. Van reached his arms around her and caught her in a reassuring embrace. 

"I never said you're not supposed to cry. It's just that I'm deeply saddened to be the reason for those tears." he responded. 

"Well..." she whispered weakly, "you can start making it up to me by rubbing my back. You have no idea how tense I am right now." Van had neither the energy nor the leverage, with Hitomi so close to him, to administer proper pressure, but he wasn't going to give up the closeness for anything. He slid his hands over her back began kneading carefully at the knotted muscles on either side of her spine with his fingertips as best he could. 

"You are tense." he sighed guiltily, then a small smile cracked on his lips as he remembered something. "You beat up Halena, didn't you?" 

"Well, I...guess I did." said Hitomi, sheepishly. Van laughed and snuggled closer to her. Upon realizing exactly how out-of-character it was for her to be so violent, Hitomi began laughing too. Van kissed her forehead. In that one moment, he felt a lot of the aforementioned tension flow effortlessly from her body. 

"New plan." said Hitomi. "Just hold me." 

He gladly complied, pulling her as close as he possibly could without cutting of either her circulation or his own. She had relaxed completely in his arms - that was fast, he thought to himself - and her breath felt warm against his throat. 

"You know, it was pretty damn stupid of me to get poisoned." he said, running his fingers through her soft, fine hair. "Halena's attempt was pretty half-assed. So was the other guy's, when I think about it. But look how much it almost hurt us." 

"Mmhmm." muttered Hitomi, nuzzling in to his shoulder. "But I was stupid too, Van. I almost left Gaea. That's part of the reason I was crying. I feel guilty too, because...I almost gave up on you." 

"Now that you've said that, I'm never going to let you go." Van said, his arms still locked tightly around her. 

"That's just fine with me." Hitomi said. "Hold me like this forever." A few moments passed with only the peaceful sound of their breath, rising and falling in perfect unison. "Actually," Hitomi said, breaking the silence, "are you feeling completely better?" 

"I have that weird feeling that you get when you've slept for too long." Van said, "But I really don't think that I'm sick anymore." 

"Then would you...well, umm..." Hitomi stammered, a question dancing on the tip of her tongue before she finally found the courage to blurt it out. "...make love to me?" 

"Hitomi, I thought we were going to wait until our wedding night?" 

"I know you only said that to take the pressure off of me. And that whole principle of delayed gratification... You know, everything between us has been delayed, from the realization of our feelings, to our first kiss, to this fight that we just had. I don't want this to be delayed any longer. I want to claim you as my own." She wrapped her legs tightly around his torso. He brought a hand up to stroke the her hair. 

"I've always been yours." he whispered, kissing her cheek. "And I'll always be yours whether you like it or not." She slid her hands over his hipbones, up his across his ribs and down over the front of his chest. Van caught her hands, his expression becoming mildly concerned. 

"Please." she whimpered. She nuzzled his neck, planting small, fluttering kisses across it. 

"Hitomi, you're right, I did say that to take the pressure off." Van affirmed. "We don't have to wait until our wedding night, but look... I'm tired, you're tired as hell, and really emotional. One minute you're yelling at me to get my hand out of your shirt...and the next you're saying you want me...inside you? No offense of course." he added quickly in a small voice, bracing himself for another slap, but it did not come. "It's good that we've got this all worked out, but to do that now would be disrespectful to you. Like I could have my way even though I was horrible to you." 

"Mmmf." said Hitomi. 

"I love you." said Van. He raised a worried eyebrow when she didn't say it back, but then she gave a loud snore, and he realized she was already asleep. 

"Silly, silly girl." he said to himself. He closed his eyes, and let sleep find him again as well. 

***

The cell was dark, musty and deathly chilly. The only light came from outside the dungeon door, where a guard stood watch throughout the early hours of the new day. Halena leaned back against the stone wall with her arms wrapped tightly around her body as she shivered against the cold. She brought the fingers of her right hand to her face and ran them absently over the raised scar tissue there as she thought back to her past. Like most common people in Fanelia, she'd come from a family of farmers. She had a mother, a father, a younger sister, and a baby brother. Everyone put in their share of work to feed and clothe the family, and despite their low income, they were all fairly happy together. They had everything they needed. 

She remembered being twelve years old, wearing a long, dark blue silk dress with matching ribbons to hold elaborate looping braids in her hair. She wore a charcoal bodice over the dress which accentuated her developing curves, and a chain of fragrant white flowers that her sister had made for her around her neck. She had spun around admiring her reflection in the mirror and felt invincible. News had come in the morning that Prince Van returned unscathed from the rite of dragonslaying, and she and her father were to attend his coronation in the evening. Her feelings toward the royalty were different back then; she looked upon the boy who would become king with the same wide-eyed admiration as many of his subjects did now. She and her sister had even gushed over how handsome he was. 

Her sister, who had to stay home, envied her for being able to witness history first-hand. Little did the younger girl know how much history Halena would be witnessing, and little did Halena know that her final glance in the mirror before she took off towards town was her last glimpse of her face and life as they'd always been; untainted and unmarred. 

It was only moments after Van had been declared king that the battle broke out. Orders were given to the frenzied crowd to hurry to the mountains. She and her father rushed home to collect the rest of their family, but when they arrived, they found the house in flames. He commanded her to wait outside as he rushed in to the flames in attempt to save her mother and siblings. Halena stood in the doorway, desperately calling in to the roaring fire for him to return. She shielded her profusely-watering eyes from the unbearably hot, red-orange wind with her arm. The air was thick with smoke and it became hard to breathe. Suddenly, she heard a loud snap. The last thing she saw was the house she'd lived in her entire life coming to the ground in a violent crash of sparks and ashes. 

She had no idea how much time lapsed between then and when she woke again. All she knew is that when she woke, her body ached and her skin stung like it had been torn from her body. The very act of breathing caused her immeasurable pain. She laid very still, unsure of where she was or what had happened, hoping only for death to come and relieve her of her suffering. Death did not come. The fates were not that merciful. When she could finally open her eyes to see and her mouth to speak, she discovered that she was in an encampment in the woods. An elderly lady had been caring for her. Halena asked her what had happened. 

"Fanelia has been destroyed." the woman said. 

As the pain gradually began to fade from unbearable to tolerable, she began to hope not for death, but to be found by her family. She wanted nothing more in the world then for them to be okay. Once again fate had no mercy. Days bled in to weeks, for which her entire world was nothing more than the dingy canvas roof of the tent she lay in and the moths and flies that fluttered around the lantern suspended from its ceiling. She was aware that she smelled rather unpleasant; not unlike jerky. Occasionally, rumor would reach the ruined kingdom. Messengers spoke of the young king fighting gallantly against their enemies in the distant lands of Asturia and Freid with the dragon, Escaflowne. The citizens hoped he would return victorious to rebuild what had been lost. That hope kept many going, despite the loss of their homes and worldly possessions, but to Halena, the stories seemed nothing more than fairytales. She had trouble believing in anything. 

Eventually, her wounds had healed enough so that she could sit up, even though the movement of her muscles beneath her skin still made it sting and itch horribly. One night when her self-appointed caretaker had already retired for the evening, Halena snuck out of the tent and back to where her family's house once stood beneath the cover of darkness. 

It confirmed the worst of her fears. She had hoped that the house's violent collapse had only been a dream; but there was nothing left of it or her old life. Her family was truly gone. Her sister, who was timid and beautiful. Her brother, who was obnoxious, but still cute. Her mother, who had taken ill over the winter but had been finally starting to recover. Her father, who was a rough man, but gentle underneath it all. They had all been swallowed in flame and perished there. She felt cursed to be left living when they all had to die. Salty tears stung the seared skin of her face. 

When the moons hung at their highest, she found her way to a remote lake in the forest. There she took off the clothes the old lady had dressed her in and looked upon her body for the first time since the fire. She was shocked by what she saw in the water's moonlit mirror-surface. Almost all of her hair was gone, and the charred segments had been cut out unevenly from what was left. The left side of her face and neck was one gigantic and blistered bruise-colored burn with the exception of her green eye, which by some miracle she hadn't lost. A few smaller burns were on the right side of her face, her left shoulder and across her rib cage. There was another large one on her forearm where she had shielded her face from the flames. 

She would have been horrified of the sight were it not for the sadness which already weighed heavy in her heart. She felt like something bent and broken; like she was dead but somehow still forced to live on anyway. She waded in to the water, hoping it would banish some of the jerky smell. Afterwards, she laid on the bank and let the water on her skin evaporate in to the warm summer air. She spent the entire night there, barely able to sleep. She didn't return to the encampment. 

She wasn't quite sure why she didn't go back. Perhaps she felt she could not face the people with her disfigurement. Perhaps she just didn't feel as if she had a place among them anymore. None of them were her family, after all. For many days and nights, she would stay by the lake, watching the ripples in its cold, clear water. Occasionally she'd eat berries from the surrounding trees, but for the most part she wasn't very hungry. Starving to death had a certain appeal. She grew gangly and emaciated, though she barely noticed or cared. Her clothes were stained with grass and mud, but at least she could bathe at any time she wished. 

Then one rainy day, he wandered out of the woods while she laid resting in the grass, staring up at the cloudy sky. 

She jumped at the sound of snapping twigs and turned to see a man who was probably in his early twenties. He had long, chestnut-colored hair and a beard of thick stubble; as there hadn't been any means to shave since the fires. His eyes were of a soft golden brown. They were wrought with compassion when they fell upon her. She was about to scamper away in to the undergrowth when he spoke to her. 

"Why aren't you at the encampment?" he asked. "They have food there. The men have been hunting in the woods." When she didn't answer, he came a few steps closer. She backed away. "You poor girl." he said with a frown. "Such crimes Fanelia has allowed." 

She took off running. She couldn't bare it; couldn't bare being treated as something to be pitied. She was ashamed of herself. She ran until her lungs ached and her scabbed-over skin itched and oozed, then curled in to a ball on the forest floor. When she returned to the lake in the evening, he was gone. She thought she'd seen the last of him. But only a few days later, he returned. Like before, she ran away. He didn't pursue her. Instead, he sat down in the grass and began cooking a rather large slab of meat. 

She hadn't realized before how hungry she really was and the smell slowly drew her back to the lake. She sat in the bushes watching him, hoping he'd leave at least a little bit when he was finished. After some time, he looked up and it was apparent that he knew she was there. 

"Why don't you come eat some?" he asked softly. "I made this for you, you know." 

Hunger and pride warred within her, but in the end hunger got the better of pride. She didn't know what his intentions for her were, but she didn't care. Being killed would be an even greater kindness than food. She hesitantly came forward and sat down cross-legged before him, several yards away from the fire. 

"I can't blame you for not wanting to be near it." the man said. "Fire has left its mark on all of our memories. My name is Kipalisa." 

She still didn't talk, and he seemed to accept that. No more words were said until the food was cooked, then they ate together in silence. Then he packed up his things and walked away. For just a second, he turned around and met her eyes. "Your eyes are a very pretty color." he said. 

***  
_"Under a blackened sky  
Far beyond the glaring street lights  
Sleeping on empty dreams  
The vultures lie in wait  
You lay down beside me there  
You were with me every waking hour  
So close that I could feel your breath"_  
***

Kipalisa came every day after that with food. Sometimes the portions were meager, for it was only what he could kill and the local wildlife had suffered nearly as much from Zaibach's attack as the citizenry. The brown-haired man puzzled Halena. He didn't fuss over her wounds - which had become little more than a mosaic of scars - like the old woman back at the encampment had. He didn't talk to her like a child, when he actually talked, and he never expected her to respond. He just let her be whoever and whatever she was. After a while she decided that she could trust him; that perhaps she even liked him. 

"My name is Halena." she told him, one evening after finishing their food. "Halena Mapel. Not that it matters, because I am the only one left by that name." He nodded understandingly in response. 

"Your hair is starting to grow back, Halena." he noted. "It's a very interesting shade, just like your eyes." 

After that, he didn't come for days. She wondered vaguely what had become of him; if perhaps he had died, or just simply forgotten about her. She even felt a little bit abandoned. He was the only human contact she'd had for a very long time. Then one night she awakened to him standing above her with a torch. 

"The king has returned to Fanelia." he said. "The country is to be rebuilt. Won't you please come with me? We'll have to live in a shelter for a while, but it's better than out here in the woods. Winter will be here soon. You shouldn't be alone." 

She reluctantly accepted his offer. 

The castle was one of the first buildings in line for reconstruction; though not for reasons of vanity. As soon as the first floor had walls, it became a shelter to all those who had been left homeless so that they didn't have to spend the winter in their makeshift tents and shacks. Of course, the entire country didn't fit in to the castle. Other shelters were erected, too, and it was in such a shelter that Halena and Kipalisa found themselves. After they moved in there, Halena didn't see much of Kipalisa. He was always out, working to rebuild his home somewhere in the capitol. He came back to the shelter only to eat and sleep. The most he'd give her anymore was a glance. 

_I was a fool to think that his actions were anything beyond pity,_ she thought sadly to herself. 

Other people in the shelter spoke to her, but their words were nothing but pity either. Kipalisa had at least called her a poor girl. They called her a poor _thing_. Granted she wasn't the only one there to have received unpleasant and scarring burns, she was still in the minority. She still felt as if she should have died, but somewhere over the course of months, the feelings of helplessness and submission gave way to something else. Anger and newfound conviction simmered within her slowly, building like thunderheads in a hot, hazy sky, until one day when she cornered Kipalisa. 

"You're just like the rest of them, aren't you?" she demanded, an unearthly green fire smoldering in her eyes. 

"I beg your pardon?" he asked her. 

"When you look at me, all you see is a poor little orphan girl living in tainted skin. You took care of me in the woods as if I were a stray cat, but now that there are other people do to that, you don't have the time of day for such a pathetic creature!" 

"No," he said, "I wasn't under the impression that you wanted company." 

"I don't have a family." she hissed. "I had one uncle in this town, but he's gone too. Do you think anyone wants to be alone _this much_, with no one to actually respect or understand them?" 

"No, Halena, I suppose not. I do respect you, though." Kipalisa said, and without any more words, he moved to embrace her. It was strange, being held by another person after so long without any physical contact. She braced herself, trying hard not to tremble in his arms. She didn't want Kipalisa to think that she was a weak, frightened child. She wanted him to see her as a woman; as a person. For the first time, she realized that she wanted him to love her, though that was foolish. No one would love her with her scars. 

"Halena?" he asked. "You don't have a place to go once Fanelia is rebuilt, do you?" She shook her head no. "When my home is finished, you can live with me." he said, gently stroking her hair. For a moment, she felt as if a beam of sunlight had been cast over the dark clouds of her life. 

***  
_"Pressed up against the glass  
I found myself wanting sympathy  
But to be consumed again  
Oh I know would be the death of me  
And there is a love that's inherently given  
The kind of blindness offered to appease  
In the light of forbidden joy  
Oh I know I won't recieve it_  
***

After eight long months, Kipalisa's residence was rebuilt. Halena, now thirteen years old, was determined to make herself as useful for him as she had been for her parents, if not more so. She poured all her energy in to cooking meals, scrubbing floors, and making new clothes for her host and herself. Kipalisa would still be out for most of the daylight hours, helping to rebuild the kingdom. The day things changed the most between them was not unlike any other. She had been left to her own devices for the day, and was hard at work preparing the evening's meal. Her full attention was on the food she cooked, and she did not hear him come in, so she was startled when he came up and hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. 

"You're a good woman, Halena." he said softly in to her ear. "You've worked so hard. You've been so helpful to us. And I think...that I am falling in love with you." 

"Kipalisa?" she asked, turning to face him, her eyes locked in to his. He pulled her close and ever-so-gently pressed his lips to hers. She was in complete and utter shock, paralyzed as he kissed her with the utmost tenderness and reverence. "But...my face..." she said, when he finally pulled away. She had never spoken directly with him about her injuries, in all the weeks and months they had spent together. She had been too ashamed to. It was like her dark secret which everyone in the world could see. 

"I don't see scars when I look at you." he answered. "I see a woman with bright, beautiful green eyes and soft violet hair." He ran his fingers through the silky strands which now reached almost to her shoulders. 

"I see a woman who is incredibly kind, hard-working and devoted. I see a woman who has been failed by the king and country that was supposed to protect her." She raised an eyebrow in confusion. 

Kipalisa proceeded to sit her down at the table and tell her of all the secrets and shortcomings of the royal family; namely the accursed Draconian blood. If Van had really cared for his country, he wouldn't have run away to return when it was convenient for him - and as a hero, nonetheless - Kipalisa insisted. He would have fought to the end, even if that end was his own death. Leaving Fanelia behind in the wake of destruction made him no better than Folken, who had run from the rite of succession. 

"I want you to help me, to get vengeance for your family and all the others who died because of this cowardice." Kipalisa told her. 

He wanted to kill Van in the end, though it wasn't quite as simple as that. He had to bide his time as the country was rebuilt, as an assassination in the midst of the process would throw the entire country in to a worse chaos than there had been during the war. Without their king, they would be left totally vulnerable and could easily be absorbed in to the greedy bowels of another nation. In the meantime, he wanted to instill someone within the castle, an informant to keep him updated on the actions of the king and his advisors. Halena would be perfect for the job. The cat-girl who was now on the council had a soft spot for those left orphaned by the war. Halena was to go to her requesting employment. 

A week later, Halena left for the castle, slightly frustrated with what had passed between them. She had asked Kipalisa to take her virginity before she left. He refused, saying that if his plans failed, he could be executed. He didn't want her to be spoiled for the future, when perhaps she could find a husband who would love and care for her as he had. 

"Don't talk like that!" she admonished. Deep inside, she felt as if he was the only one who could ever love her. 

"Look, Halena, I'll do my best." Kipalisa insisted. "But I can't promise anything. If everything works out as planned, we'll marry once someone new has ascended to the throne and we'll live out the rest of our days in happiness. It's just that if something should happen to me, I want you to be safe. I want you to go on living as you have always had." 

***

She stared at wall of the cell. He had always put her before him. Even if he had used her to further his own cause, he had done so with the utmost concern for her safety. He didn't want any evidence that she was connected to his plans. She was surprised at how little his death had shaken her, when it all came down to it. You can only loose so much before to begin to expect loss. But there had been no way she was going to stand by and allow the man who'd slaughtered Kipalisa to live. Even though Kipalisa had wanted her to be safe, she put herself in harm's way in hopes that she could achieve his dream for a new, uncontaminated royalty. She had failed miserably. 

Now, she was probably going to be executed. That would be all well and good, except that she did not want Van to have the satisfaction of being the one to order her killed -- or one of his men, if he still died from the poisoning. She reached in to her sleeve to find the small knife she had hidden there. In their haste to get her locked away, the guards hadn't bothered to search her. That was a foolish move on their part. She pressed the metal blade to her wrist. She hadn't cried in years. Now she would cry tears of blood and hope that death would finally embrace her as she thrust the knife in to her vein. 

***

After everything that had happened, most people would have had the common sense and decency to let Van and Hitomi be. Merle, however, did not. Only an hour after sunrise, she burst in to the room without knocking and took a flying leap in to the bed, landing on the couple, who were still tightly entwined in each other's arms. "Van-sama?!" she squealed, shaking him. "Van-sama, you're alive, right?" Hitomi and Van groaned in unison. "Oh, thank goodness!" continued Merle in an anxious and high-pitched tone. "I didn't sleep a wink last night, you know, I was so worried... I felt responsible. I can't believe this happened..." 

Hitomi detached one arm from Van and grabbed Merle around the waist, pulling her down in to the covers beside her. "So shut your damn mouth already and sleep!" she muttered. Her voice was agitated, but her embrace was understanding and sympathetic. Merle happily obliged, and her eyes were closed within minutes. It was nearly afternoon before any of them woke again. 

"Chickens." Van muttered in his sleep. "Chickens?" He opened his eyes to look at his sleeping fiancee. "Oh, that's Hitomi." he said, correcting himself. Hitomi stirred at the mention of her name and blinked sleepily. Van then noticed a warm weight on his chest. Merle was still sound-asleep, sprawled out carelessly over top of both him and Hitomi. "Merle?" he shook her. "Merle?" When she gave no response, he gently rolled her on to the unoccupied sliver of bed beside him. Without conscious thought to the situation, she latched on to his arm and bit, hard. 

"...Never waking anyone up again..." he muttered to himself. 

Merle relinquished her mouthful of arm as soon as she realized where she was. "Van-sama!" she squealed. "You're alive!!!" 

"I thought we already had that established." groaned Hitomi sleepily. 

Van hugged Merle and kissed the top of her head. She purred contentedly. After giving Hitomi a similar kiss, he shifted himself in to a sitting position, stretched out leisurely, and announced "I am not doing any kind of work today. None whatsoever. Politics and meetings can wait." 

"I'm definitely not going to argue with that." said Hitomi, in her warm, sleepy voice. "I'm so glad to have you back." 

"We'll have a Van-sama's not dead party, instead!" Merle suggested with a grin. "Just the three of us." 

"Geeze, you're morbid." complained Van, and slammed his elbow in to the Merle's arm, though not hard enough to inflict any actual pain. 

It was some time later that Allen walked in to the room. He'd been rather concerned by the lack of activity, but he found the king of Fanelia alive and well, cuddling contentedly with the two most important women in his life. 

"Oh..." said Hitomi, "I'm sorry I never came out to tell you that Van's better." She frowned guiltily. 

"Want to join us, Allen?" asked Van with a goofy smile. 

"Umm, I'll pass." said Allen uncomfortably. "I am glad to see your all right, Van, but I have to return to Asturia. Eries and Celena must be worried by now. Before I leave, I want to have a word with you...alone." 

Hitomi and Merle took that as their cue to exit the room, and with great effort, hauled themselves out of bed. Van climbed out as well, standing face-to-face with Allen. "Thanks for looking after Hitomi," he said, "and thanks for helping out with this situation." He threw his arms around the Caeli knight and gave him a gigantic hug which Allen had definitely not been expecting. 

"Is this...the same angstful young king I fought beside during the war?" he asked with a surprised blink. 

Van shrugged. "Love does funny things to a person." he responded as Allen returned the hug awkwardly, then backed away. 

"Well...about that..." said Allen, meeting his eyes with furrowed brows. "If Hitomi ever shows up on my doorstep crying because of you again..." He made a cut-throat gesture, his pupils narrowing. 

Van frowned a little bit. "It won't happen again, I promise." 

~*~*~*~*~*~

**AN:** Yeah, I kept Van hugging Allen. It was awkward and OOC, but it was supposed to be...that's the beauty of it! Okay, so maybe I take amusement in strange things, but I'm allowed. I'm sorry I couldn't get chap. 8 finished in time for Christmas. I didn't want to rush it this time only to have to go back and revise like all these other chapters. Speaking of which, anyone want to beta-read it for me when it's done? You have to be willing to provide negative criticism as well as positive - yeah, I know, that's hard for me too! - but I'll love you forever if you will! (Just e-mail me if you're interested.) 

But yeah, I've been working hard on chapter 8 and it can be expected sometime in the New Year. Maybe even before, depending on how bored I get...hehe. Have a great Holiday, everyone, which ever one it is that you celebrate! 

For anyone who's interested, I now have some piccies of my niece Lynn! You can see them at: http://www.opalwings.com/thebaybay.html 

**Song Quotes:** 1. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" by Elton John. (I heard the song on the radio a few nights ago and realized that the whole thing reminds me of Hitomi and Van...hehe. Yes, I'm sappy.) 2 & 3. "Wait" by Sarah McLachlan. 

**Site Plug:** http://www.opalwings.com/escaflowne


	8. Damage Control

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
**Beneath Two Moons  
8. Damage Control**  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
By Jessica Lynn S. (starcollision@opalwings.com)  
~*~ 

**Spoilers:** The entire Escaflowne series. 

**Warnings:** Sensuality, _shoujo-ai_ (romance between two female characters), and a bit of violence. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. No profit is being made from my silly fanfiction hobby. ^_^ I do, however, own this fic and the original characters in contains. Please do not post this story anywhere without asking first. 

**Summary:** The dust has yet to settle in the wake of the previous chaos. Upon hearing of Halena's suicide attempt, Hitomi feels sympathy for the girl and ventures to the dungeon. Meanwhile, a conversation about Celena between Van and Merle becomes an argument. 

*****IMPORTANT NOTE***: :** **For those who have already read the last chapter prior to my posting this,** you will not understand what's going on unless you go back and re-read. I was dissatisfied with how that chapter turned out, so I added to it and carried over a lot of its content to this one. (The first six chapters have also been revised, though re-reading them is optional, as the changes aren't so severe.) So...there's really nothing new in this chapter except for Van's argument with Merle. I humbly apologize for all the confusion this has caused; I should have gotten this story right the first time around instead of having to go back and re-do so much of it. 

I'm sorry for the time it took getting this out, too. (Special apologies to those who were banging their heads on their keyboards. ^_^ I love my readers, I really do! Please don't give yourselves any concussions...) With the holidays passing, and my first semester of full-time college impending upon me (I was part-time last semester) I've been a bit overwhelmed and jittery. Please be patient with me if it takes me longer to churn out chapters than normal. I will not abandon this story before it is complete, and that's a promise. And be forewarned, there's just a tad bit of naughtyness in this chapter, though it's _nothing_ compared to chapter four.   


~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Hitomi and Merle looked on in disbelief as Van shoveled an entire plate's worth of food in to his mouth before they even had a chance to pick up their forks. The three had just seen Allen off, and now the Van was wasting no time in making up for the days of not being able to keep anything down. His eyes wandered to the content of Merle's plate, prompting the cat-girl to hunch over her food protectively. "Don't you even think about it..." she snarled. He gave Hitomi a pleading glance. She sighed defeatedly and forked over a biscuit. 

They had barely finished their meals when Direedus knocked at the door. "I'm sorry to interrupt," he apologized as he peeked in to the room, "but the girl in the dungeon tried to take her life this morning. In yesterday's panic, no one actually searched her before we threw her in her cell, and apparently she had a knife tucked in to her sleeve. She used it to slit her wrists. The physician stayed overnight...so we got him treat her immediately and we confiscated the weapon. She didn't loose very much blood, and the guards are watching her more closely now, but we thought you should be informed. We weren't going to let her die until you made a decision as to what to do with her..." 

"A wise decision." Van acknowledged approvingly. His feelings on Halena were not the kindest after everything that had transpired, but the thought of another death made him uneasy. He couldn't bring back the man he'd unintentionally killed, so the least he could do was let Halena live. She was a lot younger than his first would-be assassin, and she wasn't someone that life had been kind to. He wasn't sure to what fate he'd have her sentenced ultimately, but it wouldn't be death, especially if that was actually what she wanted. 

He looked over at Hitomi and realized that her expression was pained. She was now feeling sorry for the former handmaiden, despite the previous day's violent struggle. The compassion that she could feel - even for her enemies - never failed to astound Van. He reached out and touched her shoulder softly. The touch caused Hitomi to blink as her expression transformed to one of guilt. 

"I'm not really sure how I feel about this either." he reassured her softly, meeting her eyes. "If you feel sorry for Halena, that's okay. We've all felt sorry for her since she started working here." 

Hitomi nodded uncertainly. "I don't know why she did it though. First it was that other guy, now her...it's pretty insane. I don't understand why they'd want to kill you." 

"Hey, it's not the first attempt on the royal family, and I'm sure it won't be the last." Van shrugged. "Who ever knows what these people are thinking?" 

"But you've done so much for them, especially Halena!" Hitomi insisted. 

"No matter what I do, Hitomi, not everyone is going to be pleased with it. The same will go for you once you're queen, so you'll have to get used to the idea. Not everyone reacts quite that...drastically, though." he admitted. 

"Halena must be really hurt and angry over what happened here in Fanelia, and maybe she was just pointing her anger in the wrong direction." Hitomi pondered. "I can only imagine the things that poor girl must have gone through..." 

Van knew that in many ways, Hitomi was a better person than he could ever be. That's why he'd never doubted her ability to be queen. She had forgiven Folken where he could not, and he still sometimes wondered how things would have been different if he'd actually talked to his brother before his untimely demise instead of just talking to a statue and a ghost. But after everything he'd recently put Hitomi through by fault of his own foolishness, he did not want her to be troubled any further. 

"Indeed. But I don't want you to get involved." Van warned her, his voice still soft, but firm. "You've already been too involved in this situation...and I'm sorry for that." His eyes conveyed his sincerity. She sighed deeply and laid her head on his shoulder, but gave him no response. He put his arm around her with a frown of concern. He wished that she'd just let him take care of matters from here, but it obviously wasn't going to be that easy. Hitomi had a mind of her own. 

"Van-sama, there is one more thing." said Direedus, who had been watching the scene uncomfortably. He's grown used to the sight of his king and various other unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on one's perspective) guests being glomped, licked, and otherwise affectionately mauled by Merle. But whenever Van was cozy with Hitomi he could not help but feel that his presence was an intrusion. 

"Hmm, what's that?" Van asked calmly. 

"The doctor had wanted to see you again once you were awake, just to make sure that you're completely all right before he leaves the castle." 

Van's hair bristled visibly as he waved his hands in dismissal. "That's okay, I'm fine. One-hundred-percent better!" he said with a large, overly-cheerful grin. 

Hitomi cocked her head. Merle narrowed her eyes and leaned in towards Hitomi's ear. "Doctors make him really nervous." she said in a conspiratorial whisper. 

"Really, I'm fine." Van continued to insist. "Hitomi took care of me...so maybe she could just, eh, examine me later and make sure." He laughed nervously, but no one else found his joke quite as amusing. 

"Nonsense, Van-sama." said Merle with a sadistic smile which bared her pointed eye-teeth. "If I ever get so much as a cold, you always see that I get thoroughly prodded and inspected. And you're the king, so I don't see why you shouldn't get the same...considerate treatment." 

"I'm fine." Van repeated for the third time with an agitated grumble. "But if it makes everyone feel better...then I'll see him." Another loosing battle for him; this one served him right though, for his own idiocy in getting poisoned. Despite her previous distress, Hitomi suppressed a giggle. She loved Van but sometimes he could be so typically male. 

And if it made her laugh a little bit, then Van supposed it was okay. 

***

Halena was curled in to a ball against the wall, trying to block out the world; not that there was much world outside her cell to speak of. If she concentrated solely on the ragged rhythm of her breath, she could temporarily forget where she was. Maybe if she tried even harder, she could forget who she was too. That's what she was working towards when the soft patter of footsteps descended the staircase. She thought nothing of it until she heard a female voice speaking to the guard outside of her cell. 

"Wait at the top of the stairs, please." said the voice. "I would like to speak to the prisoner alone. 

"As you wish, my lady." he responded reverently. Halena looked up to see Hitomi and immediately averted her green eyes. The person who had caught her in the act of poisoning Van was not high on the list of people that she wanted to see. Hitomi didn't seem to take that fact in to consideration. She knelt down beside the bars of the cell so that she was at eye-level with Halena. 

"Halena?" she asked, softly and cautiously; her voice bordering on gentle. The maid shivered. 

"What do you want from me, Hitomi-sama?" she asked. 

Hitomi reached through the bars, taking one of Halena's bandaged arms in her hand. "I want to know why you did this to yourself." she said firmly, turning it over to examine the wrist. Halena pulled away reflexively. 

"Why should you care, of all people?" she said in the same distant, monotonous voice which made Hitomi's heart wrench. She was looking at the woman who damn-near killed Van. But yet, Halena was not a woman. She was so young. Hitomi was young herself, but Halena was three years her junior and in that particular moment, she looked younger still. She looked like a child, slouched helplessly against the cold stone wall; ready and willing to throw away a life which had barely even begun. 

Hitomi could only imagine the horror and anguish that short life had seen. The burn scars on the girl's face were just as visible as they were before and her forehead was peppered with bright purple bruises where it had been slammed in to the floor. She found herself at a painful loss of words. 

Suddenly, Halena looked up and smiled feebly. "I know how angry you should be." she said. "I know how angry I was. I nearly put you through the same thing that I just went through. I wasn't counting on you coming back from Asturia so soon. I've always liked you." she confessed. I didn't want you to have to see him die." With that, she looked down again, staring at her cold, pale hands which still bore the dried traces of blood. 

"He didn't die." said Hitomi flatly. 

"I figured he didn't." answered Halena. "Otherwise I'd be dead by now as well." Suddenly her features took on a darker look than before; a look which conveyed a strange, placid breed of urgency or detached concern. "Hitomi," she said, "you have been deceived. Van is one of the accursed people of Atlantis. He is a winged demon who will bring further destruction upon Fanelia if he continues to rule. I know you probably doubt me after the story I gave about Merle, but this time I speak to you honestly." 

"I don't think you're lying." Hitomi answered. "Actually I know you're not. I've seen his wings. But his heritage does not affect his ability to rule. You've seen all that he's done for his people." 

Halena shook her head. "There have been problems in the royal family ever since the introduction of the Draconian blood." she said coldly. "King Goau fell ill and died young. His first son ran from the rite of succession, and Van ran from his country while we were under attack. He left when we needed him the most. You only think that you know Van. You don't." 

"On the contrary," she said, her voice growing defensive, "I don't think anyone knows Van as well as I do." 

Halena turned away bitterly, clearly conveying a desire to end the conversation. There was no use talking to someone who wasn't going to listen. Hitomi watched her silently for several minutes. She sighed, knowing full-well that she better return to Van before he questioned her whereabouts. She did not want to upset him. Halena kept her back turned as Hitomi walked away. 

***  
_"All their eyes keep asking, 'Are you in or are you out?'  
And I think to myself, 'What is this about?'  
'Cause tonight you can't put me up on any shelf  
Because I came here alone and I'm gonna leave by myself"  
_ ***

The royal physician certified that Van had, indeed, recovered from the poisoning. Of course he'd still have to rest and take things easy to regain his full health. Van was only too glad when the doctor left the room. He took a few moments to regain his dignity before he walked out, flopping down on the floor beside Merle, who had waited for him in the hallway. "I owe you one now." he said sarcastically to the cat-girl. 

She laughed and stuck out her tongue. Were his wings exposed, she was certain the feathers would be quite ruffled. 

"But seriously," he said, "I know that saving me was a group effort, and I thank you for your part in it. Thank you for taking care of Hitomi, too. I honestly do owe you one." he said. His disgruntled expression had melted away in to one of sincerity and gratitude. He put his arm around Merle and gave her an affectionate squeeze. 

"Thanks, Van-sama." she answered, looking up at him with an uncertain smile. 

Van raised a single eyebrow. The two had known each other long enough that they could read each other's moods without really intending to, and Merle wasn't feeling quite right about something. "Something wrong, kid?" he asked her. 

"You're nosy!" she grumbled, pinching the tip of his nose for emphasis. 

"I wud jus askig..." he mumbled in an indignant, nasal voice. She gave another small laugh and released her grip. 

"Well, I wanted to stay in Asturia." she muttered, looking down at her hands to avoid his eyes. "I tried to make Hitomi stay longer. I was being selfish." She frowned. 

"Hey, it's okay." Van assured her. "I got myself in to this mess in the first place. You and Hitomi and Allen...you're always saving me, aren't you?" He smiled. 

"I didn't get to say goodbye to Celena-chan, either." Merle sighed. 

"I'm sure that Allen will tell her about this whole fiasco as soon as he gets back. She'll understand. And you'll see her again in a few days anyway. It's almost my birthday, you know? She said she was going to come." 

"I almost forgot about that." said Merle. "Celena-chan was acting really strange, though." 

"How so?" he asked, bringing up his hand to protect his nose as he looked at the cat-girl expectantly. 

"Ummm....well..." Merle said, "We were, umm, fighting. It wasn't a real fight. We were just playing but... She was talking like Dilandu, as a joke, and I told her that it scared me. So she...she asked me if I'd want her if she was a man! I don't know how why she would ever say such a thing, Van-sama!" She grabbed his arm and hugged it tightly, plagued by sudden worry. "Do you think Celena-chan is turning back in to Dilandu!?" 

Van patted Merle's head soothingly. "I don't think that's possible." he said, trying to hide his amusement. "The Fate Alteration was entirely reversed." Learning to accept Celena hadn't been an easy feat for him, but at Hitomi's insistence to believe in her, he'd given her a chance. Eventually, his reluctant acceptance became respect and he actually started to like her. He firmly believed her to be someone totally separate from Dilandu, not to mention she was wonderful for Merle. In fact, in that sense, Celena was like an answered prayer. It was a hard job being the king of Fanelia _and_ Merle's best and only friend all in the same day. For a long time he'd felt guilty for not being able to give her the time she deserved. He delighted in seeing the cat-girl's happiness when Celena came to visit. 

What Merle had confided in him further affirmed the suspicions he'd had all along. He could be pretty damned clueless about people's emotions sometimes, but this situation seemed to stand out like a big, honking zit in the middle of reality's forehead. "I think there's another explanation for this." he said. 

"What?" Merle asked, still clutching his arm and looking up at him childishly with her big blue eyes. 

"Well..." he began, "I don't think Celena is really interested in boys." 

"I already noticed that." Merle shrugged as if he was master of the obvious. "She seems perfectly happy without love. She's in love with her work." 

"No." Van said, shaking his head. "Everyone wants love. It's part of being human...or a cat-girl." he added quickly for his own protection. "It's just...umm, how can I put this? Celena was a boy for a large part of her life, and even though she's got her feminine side, she still acts very boyish in a lot of ways. Her sword-fighting, for instance. Even just her mannerisms and the way she talks. It may be because she was raised as a boy, but even so, that's not Dilandu. That's just who _she_ is." Merle nodded. 

"I never thought that was weird. I just thought her question was weird. You're missing my point, Van-sama." the cat-girl complained. 

Van wasn't missing her point, he was just trying to present his as delicately as possible. Delicacy had never been Merle's strong point, though. "I think she did it because she was confused about how she felt." he said. "I think that...she might...hmm, you know...like girls." His face was flushed from embarrassment. 

"Like girls?" Merle echoed. 

"Well, yeah...but she might not fully understand or realize her own feelings." 

"Just like Hitomi said..." Merle interjected, wide-eyed with realization. "She asked us if we were in love. I just never thought..." 

"Well, you should know better than to trust my perception of anything." Van jested. "But Merle...if I am right about this, I think that it's pretty safe to assume...that she likes you." 

"Like _that_?" said Merle, astonished, as if she hadn't known that remark was coming. "She likes me like that? I didn't think that anyone could ever... Well, a lot of the men around here like me...but that's just for my body." She stated the last part coolly and matter-of-factly, prompting Van to smack himself in the forehead. 

_Nope, no delicacy there._

"But I didn't think anyone that I actually cared about, cared so much about, would like me like that!" Merle rambled on. 

"Relax." he said, gently scratching behind her ears to calm her. She was poised on the balls of her feet, her body as tense as a coiled spring. It was evident that she was working towards frenzy, and the last thing anyone ever wanted was a frenzied Merle. Finally, her posture eased and she began to purr softly. Van wanted to ask her a question, but he had a hard time finding the right words. "Merle, how do _you_ feel about... I mean, is there any chance that you..." He turned redder than before and looked down, unable to complete his question, but Merle had gotten the gist of it. She immediately tensed again. 

"I really don't know." she said. "I usually like to look at men, to be honest. I mean, back in the days before there was Hitomi, I thought that I was going to marry _you_." She blushed crimson and turned away from him. "Of course everything is different now, and it's better that way." she added quickly. 

Van pretend he hadn't heard it. Things were just getting more awkward, and she was finding she could not control the flow of words from her mouth. They had come without rational thought. "But I think that if Celena-chan really loved me," she continued, "I don't think it matters that she's a girl. I think I could love her back." 

"Now wait a minute." said Van, "You're making things way too simple! This is something you really need to think about before you do anything. Don't go rushing in to anything if you're not sure of yourself. Celena is your best friend. You don't want to destroy that." 

Merle cocked her head. "What I mean," said Van, "there are different ways of loving people. There's no doubt in my mind that you love Celena, but it might be more like the way you and I love each other than the way that Hitomi and I do. There's things that people in a romantic kind of relationship do..." 

"I know about THAT, Van!" Merle snapped. "Just how old do you think I am?" She was really starting to wish this conversation had never began; that she'd just kept her damned mouth shut. What started as an innocent worry was flying way out of proportion. She felt as if Van wasn't taking her seriously, and starting to wonder if he ever truly had. Unbeknownst to her, he was feeling as if she wasn't taking _him_ seriously. 

"Well," said Van, "don't be indiscriminate. If you jump the gun just because you're desperate for a relationship, a lot of bad things could happen. What if you can't enjoy sleeping with her because she's not a man? Wouldn't she be hurt by that?" 

That was the last straw for Merle. She was on her feet in an instant. "Don't call me desperate!" she hissed, teeth bared in anger. "I have had plenty of opportunities! Not that you would know anything about me anymore. Your brain has been on vacation for the past four years and you've forgotten that you're not the only one who's grown up. All you see anymore is Hitomi. Speaking of which, you're one to talk about jumping the gun. You're marrying a girl from another world, damn it! And it's all fine and good that you're that happy, but you shouldn't try to prevent me from what might be a chance to happy as well!" 

"That's not what I'm trying to do, Merle..." he said, discomfort written plainly across his face. He extended his hand toward her in an offering of peace. She swatted at it furiously, claws extended. He winced as they ripped through his skin. Merle ran off down the hall, tail swishing violently behind her. He frowned, knowing that he'd just opened one hell of a can of worms. He shouldn't have pried so deeply; but he wanted to protect Merle for all that he was worth. Things seemed to have a habit of turning rotten lately, just when they were starting to get okay again. Maybe Hitomi would know what to do about the situation. 

_Where is Hitomi anyway?_

He looked around, finding no sign of her. "Oh shit." he thought out loud, smacking himself in the forehead for the second time. He'd just given another prime performance of his obviousness. He was about to take off in the direction of the dungeon when she came walking down the hallway toward him. He breathed a silent sigh of relief. 

"Where were you?" he asked her unassumingly. 

"Umm...I had to deal with...some women's problems." she answered sheepishly. 

He waved his hands in front of him and laughed. "Say no more!" he said. 

***

For as pitiful an excuse as it was, Van seemed none the wiser. But for reasons unknown, the collective mood had taken a turn for the worse again. The only overt clue was the absence of Merle's presence - which Van promised to explain when he wasn't so tired -; the rest was just subtleties. He seemed to want nothing more for the rest of the day than to sit with his arms wound tightly around Hitomi's waist, head resting on her shoulder as if he were afraid she'd dematerialize in to the air. She was patient with him, allowing him to hold her for as long as he needed to, but she took little comfort in the closeness herself. Her mind was elsewhere. 

Halena's eyes had been burned in to her the retina of her mind like sun spots; all the sadness and anguish that was there. She wanted to help her, but could not shake a vague notion that helping the girl would be betraying Van, Fanelia, and even herself. It would also be betraying herself to ignore her true feelings, though. 

Halena had tried to protect her from having to see Van die, and even tried to "warn" her of his Draconian heritage. That was enough to indicate that she wasn't truly evil. Rather; she was a victim of misconception. Misconceptions could be undone, and by the evening Hitomi had made up her mind. 

Van had trouble falling asleep that night, and that just made it harder for her to slip away. Every time she thought he was out, he'd wake up and reach out for her. She had to whisper reassurance and stroke his hair, waiting patiently until he went back to sleep. Finally she found herself in the dungeon again. 

Halena was sleeping well, because sleep was all there was left to do. Sleep was the only escape from a reality that would not bend to her will, or even bend at all. She awoke to the sound of her name being softly repeated and looked up to see Hitomi standing above her, face illuminated by the flame in the lantern that she carried. 

The queen-to-be was truly something else. The younger girl didn't understand her concern, and in theory, should shun it. But she felt, however faint, the same ache in her heart that had bound her loyalties to Kipalisa. It was the ache of not wanting to be left in the world alone with no one to turn to. She wouldn't admit it to herself, but she was almost glad to see Hitomi. She would be glad if not for how ashamed she felt -- not ashamed for what she had done, of course, but ashamed for her horrible failure in it. "You again?" she sighed nonchalantly. 

Hitomi wasted no time with pleasantries. "It wasn't Van's choice to run from the battlefield." she said. "I was there. I was by his side through the entire war, and I caused the column of blue light that took us away that day. I'm sorry." 

"How could you do that?" Halena asked, more in declaration of impossibility than actual inquiry. "Kipalisa said that it was clearly Draconian magic." 

"It's not magic." said Hitomi. "I will explain it to you if you allow me." 

"I don't see why you would want to explain it to me." said Halena. "I'm a criminal. . I'm not someone to whom you owe any sort of explanation." She folded her arms in front of her. 

"Are you afraid of learning that you were wrong?" asked Hitomi, head cocked. 

Halena's eyes widened considerably. "No," she shook her head in rapid denial. "You can tell me your fairy tales if you wish, but won't make any difference." 

"Thank you." said Hitomi, once again kneeling on the floor to be eye-level with the prisoner. "Oh, I almost forgot!" Sheepishly, she produced a bundle of cloth from behind her back. 

"What's that?" asked Halena. 

"It's awfully cold down here." said Hitomi, unraveling what was revealed as a blanket and pillow, and feeding them through the bars of the cell. "I thought you might like these." Halena accepted it uncertainly, draping the blanket over her shoulders as Hitomi began her story. 

"It's some sort of reaction between an energist stone and powerful human wishes." Hitomi said. She spoke slowly and chose her words carefully. The backwater beliefs that many Fanelians continued to hold on to still astounded her. "Please understand that Van wanted to stay and fight," she said "even if he died. He wanted nothing more then vengeance for his people. After we left the temple with Escaflowne, we were surrounded by guymelefs. We were totally outnumbered and we didn't stand a chance against them. I was wearing this energist pendant." 

Hitomi pulled the pendant out from beneath her shirt to show Halena. She had put it on briefly when Van returned it to her, but took it off and tucked it away only hours later. For reasons unknown to her, she hadn't felt entirely comfortable wearing it again after so much time had passed. Perhaps it had something to do with memories best left untouched. She had slipped it on before venturing to the dungeon as an afterthought; a visual aid for her explanation. 

"I wished to be taken somewhere else, somewhere safe." she said. "I was unaware of the pendant's powers. We were carried away, dropped in the Asturian frontier, and found by a Caeli. You should have seen Van's face when he told us that Fanelia was destroyed. There is no way to describe the anguish. He wanted to go back right away. He easily would have thrown his life away in the battles that followed, if not for friends who insisted otherwise. We knew he had to return to Fanelia alive, to rebuild what was lost and take care of his people. 

Please understand that if Van wouldn't have survived, we probably wouldn't have been able to defeat Zaibach. Zaibach wouldn't have just taken over in his stead. Everyone would have eventually died fighting, even the people left in Fanelia, because of Zaibach's Zone of Absolute Fortune. What good would a dead king would have done anyone, and what good would a dead king do anyone now?" 

Halena was surprised. She hadn't expected Hitomi to be so...informed. The older girl had struck her as somewhat innocent and naive; someone who would know nothing of war and suffering. Nothing could change the core of the reason of her anger towards Van, though. "Even so," she said, "even if Van meant well, he killed Kipalisa. I loved Kipalisa. I can't forgive that." 

"Was Kipalisa the man from the garden?" Hitomi asked. Her voice remained neutral and unassuming. Halena looked up at her again and nodded. 

"Well, I think you're forgetting to take in to consideration that Kipalisa tried to kill him. Van was just protecting himself. Halena, have you ever had something happen so fast that you reacted instinctively to it?" 

Halena sighed, and Hitomi could swear that she saw the faint glimmer of tears threatening to spring forth from her eyes, but the prisoner said nothing. 

"That's what it was like for Van." said Hitomi calmly. "He felt awful after the fact. He hadn't wanted to shed blood. He sat in his bed all night drinking himself sick. Kipalisa was a lot older than you, wasn't he? Did he put you up to what you did before he died?" 

"No." said Halena, shaking her head sadly. "I made that decision myself. He had wanted me to stay out of danger. I was strictly an informant. But I couldn't let his death go unpunished." 

In that moment, the two women's eyes met, and for a few brief seconds there was a flicker of understanding. It left as fast as it had come, but it carried so much with it. "Still," Hitomi said to the green-eyed girl before her "I think asking a big favor of someone immediately after a declaration of love is pretty abrupt. Don't you?" 

"How could you possibly know about that?" Halena asked, visually startled. 

Hitomi felt a gentle warmth against her collarbone where the pendant lay, but it didn't register. "And somewhere inside, you know that you doubt Kipalisa." she continued. "You know you doubt whether or not he was right, and you doubt whether or not he loved you." 

Halena sniffled abruptly, turning her head away. "How can you just suddenly know how and what I think and feel?!" With that, she buried her face in her hands and began to spill the tears that she said she would never cry again. 

Hitomi was surprised at her own words. She was surprised at what she had seen when she looked in to Halena's eyes. Then she noticed the warmth emanating from the pendant and quietly pressed her palm against it. When she left the dungeon, it was coming off and it was staying off, probably for good. But for the time being, it had aided her again. Maybe. Awkwardly, she reached out placed her hand on Halena's shoulder. Halena had remarkable control of her emotions. She had already ceased the flow of tears to a few small sniffles. 

"I don't think it's doing you much good to keep it all inside like that, either." Hitomi said. 

"I have to hold everything together." she said. "No matter what. I don't want anyone to see how broken and useless I really am. I would rather die. Please see to it that my death comes soon, Hitomi." 

"Don't talk like that." Hitomi said. "I don't know what we are going to do with you, but you're not going to be executed." 

"No matter what I do, I can't die." Halena said with a sigh of frustration. "Every thing that happens is just another scar." She absently traced along the line of the new cut through the bandage on her wrist with her fingers. "Maybe," Hitomi offered, "that's because you still have a purpose here in this world. You're not broken and you're not useless. You're not evil, either. You're young, and you were mislead horribly by someone who offered you their kindness. That's what I've gathered from talking to you, that is." She hesitated. "Perhaps he really did love you, but he still had no right to abuse your loyalty for his own motives. It hurts, Halena, but it's over with now. You have a whole lifetime before you. You shouldn't be so quick to throw it away." 

Just then, hurried footsteps came rushing down the stairs. Halena dried her eyes as quickly as she could. Hitomi turned to see Van, his eyes narrowed and nose crinkled in a painfully sour expression. "Hitomi!" he exclaimed, making no attempt to hide his displeasure. "I told you to leave it be!" 

"Van, I thought we already had it established that I make my own decisions!" she snapped back. 

He frowned and his expression softened. "I just didn't want you to suffer any more on my account. Let's not fight, please? Not again so soon." His voice had become remarkably gentle. He walked forward and captured her in an embrace which she lovingly returned, brushing his hair away to gaze in to his eyes. It was if they had entirely forgotten that they were in the dungeon in front of a prisoner. Van turned his glance awkwardly to Halena, who was watching them with wide peridot eyes, then immediately back to Hitomi. 

"Will you come back to bed now?" he asked. Hitomi nodded. He wrapped his arm around hers and led her from the scene. She looked back over her shoulder at Halena, who was still staring, practically stupefied. 

"Good night, Halena. Things will work out." she whispered, smiling warmly as she walked away. 

_Does Van-sama really love Hitomi?_ Halena wondered, _Is that what love is?_

***

The sky glowed blue with the impending dawn as Hitomi tucked her pendant back in to the depths of her duffel bag. _Van doesn't need to know about this. It will just stay here, safe and undisturbed._ A thought occurred to her and she looked down at her engagement ring. That was energist too, wasn't it? It hadn't reacted as the pendant had... It was a different shade of energist though, blue green to match the moons as opposed to the magenta teardrop stone that had hung around her throat. Maybe that had something to do with it. Maybe the red energist was just stronger. 

Without the two energist stones on the ring, she wouldn't have been able to come to Fanelia on her own when she was ready. It was almost as if it had been foresight on Van's part. Perhaps that ring should be tucked away too, though, after the wedding. The power to amplify someone's wishes was not something to be thrown around. 

Van yawned on the other side of the room, blissfully unaware of Hitomi's inner dialogue. "It's useless to try to go back to sleep now." he said. 

"I think we overslept yesterday, anyway." she answered. "I'm not tired at all." 

"Neither am I." he replied as she flopped down beside him. His dark eyes met hers and his lips curled in to a devious smile. She returned it knowingly and straddled his lap, pulling him in to a sitting position. His breath deepened instantly as he kissed her, fumbling to unhook the clasps of her coral-colored nightgown. The satiny fabric slid down over her shoulders and bunched up around her waist like flower petals in the warm orange lamplight as Van slid his hand up her thigh. 

"We're quick to pick up where we left off." Hitomi laughed in his ear. He mumbled something incoherent in to the skin of her shoulder in response. 

"I almost feel bad with all that's happened, that here I am doing this." she said as she slid her fingers over his lower back and beneath the waistband of his pants. 

"Better today than yesterday, right after we made up." Van answered. 

"I suppose so. Do you think we'll ever get bored of this?" 

"I don't think I could ever get bored of this." he replied, forcing her gently backward on to the bed, the exposed skin of his chest pressed against hers. "Now stop talking and do something useful with your mouth." He smirked. 

"I should smack you..." 

He stopped her threat with a kiss, and that was that. The sun rose golden outside the window as they finished what they had started that night in the spring. Things weren't entirely right in the world again, but in the moment, they were right enough. 

***

In the days that followed, Merle made herself scarce. She had a new project to keep her from thinking too much about the fight with Van. That was Morris, the orphan dolphin-boy she rescued from Asturia. In the commotion since returning to the castle, he'd been left unattended and raided the kitchen, decimating Merle's entire supply of salted fish. By then he'd learned enough of the native tongue to grin sheepishly and offer up a simple explanation of "I was hungry?" She would have taken her claws to anyone else. 

Every day she took Morris out in to the city, trying to find something that he was good at, or that piqued his interest, at the very least. He was more interested in playing and eating than any kind of business or trade. Merle was sympathetic, though. She could relate. 

Despite her anger with Van, she couldn't stop thinking about what he'd said to her about Celena. In her mind there was only one way to find out how the both of them felt, despite the risk of the unpleasantness that could result. Things had already recently become rather strange and unpleasant on their own. She didn't care what Van thought, or at least she'd like to think she didn't. Whatever the case, she refused to let him get in the way. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

**AN:** The next chapter should prove satisfying for fans of the Merle and Celena pairing. There's also a bachelor party sometime in the near future. ~_^ Things are going to be a bit more light-hearted from this point on. I'm expecting this thing to pan out in to ten chapters plus an epilogue. 

I may also be posting the beginning of my next project sometime soon, and I see no harm in finally sharing with you guys what it is. It's a bit different from BTM, to be sure. It's an Escaflowne prequel entitled "Devotion: The Story of a Boy and His Cats." It's written in the first-person and alternates between Nariya, Eriya and Folken's POV. My first fictional venture to the Zaibach side of the fence. ^_^ And there won't be any citrus in this one, sorry to the few who that dissapoints. ~_^ Keep your eyes out for it. 

I'm still probably going to change my pen name, just thought I'd put out a final warning. If you don't have me bookmarked, in your favorites, or anything and you'd like to be informed of my new pen name so that you can still follow this story, please e-mail me at escaflowne@opalwings.com. 

**Song Quote:** "In Or Out" by Ani DiFranco. 

**Site Plug:** http://www.opalwings.com/escaflowne


	9. New Beginnings

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
**Beneath Two Moons  
9. New Beginnings**  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
By Jessica Lynn S. (escaflowne@opalwings.com)  
~*~ 

**Spoilers:** The entire Escaflowne series. 

**Warnings:** Sensuality, _shoujo-ai_ (romance between two female characters), and a bit of violence. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. No profit is being made from my silly fanfiction hobby. ^_^ I do, however, own this fic and the original characters in contains. Please do not post this story anywhere without asking first. 

**Summary:** Halena's fate is decided, and Merle and Celena finally have a serious conversation. Has the rift between Merle and Van become too big to repair? A short installment to let everyone know that I'm still alive. 

**AN:** This is a mini-chapter in comparison to the previous ones, but I wanted to get something posted. About a month lapses between the events of this chapter and what comes next, so it would have been awkward trying to encompass it all in the same chapter anyway. I will say this now: if anyone who is reading this story is particuarly uncomfortable with the shoujo-ai component, they're advised to turn back. 

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

In the capitol city of Fanelia, a woman sat on a stair in front of her house. She looked older than she really was; with thinning brown hair and wrinkled, weary eyes. The front of her dark green peasant's dress was soiled from kneeling to work in the garden. Her hands were dirty and her nails were chipped. She'd just planted a fresh crop of vegetables, and she stared whimsically over the patch of freshly-dug dirt. She wished she could plant flowers. Perhaps in a few years, when her children were old enough to work, she would have enough money that she didn't need to use all the space she had for growing food anymore. 

She stared idly at the vacant house next door and wondered where the man that used to live there had gone. Her eyes wandered back to her own yard, and to the children. A young boy and girl played in the grass. The clothes they wore were old and tattered, but they were happy. As far as she was concerned, that was what mattered. 

Hoofbeats sounded occasionally in the distance. Eventually, a singular set of hoofbeats seperated itself from the rest and became more prominent. Someone was coming down the path. The woman looked to the road to see the lone figure of a younger woman approaching on horseback. 

The younger woman had curiously short brown hair, and the older woman assumed she was a foriegner. The young woman smiled and waved at the older woman, coming to a halt in front of the vacant house. 

"If you're looking for Kipalisa, he has been gone for a long time. It's been a few weeks since anyone in the neighborhood has seen him." the older woman called out. 

"This is where he lived, then?" asked the younger woman. 

The older woman simply nodded in reply. 

"He's dead." the younger woman stated bluntly. "I am conducting a sort of investigation on him. Do you mind if I asked you a few questions?" 

The older woman wore a curious expression. "Dead, hmm?" she asked. "What of?" 

"He was involved in criminal activities." said the younger woman. "He died attempting a murder. Does that surprise you?" 

"Nothing surprises me anymore." said the older woman. She sighed as her eyes wandered momentarily to the horizon, as if she was contemplating something from the distant past. The young woman studied her uncertainly, until the older woman seemed to snap back in to reality. "Tell me, do you work for Van-sama?" she asked curiously. "I'm surprised to see a lady conducting an investigation, no offense to you." 

"I guess you could say that." said Hitomi, not wanting to reveal her identity. She smiled, fighting the urge to say, _Yes, my job entitles many different...duties._ "I have been authorized by him to come here, if that's what you want to know." she added. 

"Well, I trust ya." said the older woman. "The reason I was asking is that I wanted to know about a young woman who works in the castle as a maid. She used to live with Kipalisa. Her name is Halena. Do you know if she is doing all right?" 

"Halena is okay." Hitomi affirmed. "She was...a bit shaken up. I'm trying to look out for her welfare. She lived with Kipalisa for a few months before she was hired by Van-sama, correct?" 

The older woman nodded. "It struck me as kind of odd that they were living together. He seemed a little old for her. I never thought too well of the situation. But Halena helped my family so much." 

"Really?" asked Hitomi. "How?" 

"I lost my husband and eldest son in the attack four years ago. It's been hard getting by since then. Halena never spoke much to me, but every month or so since she's been working, she's come home for a few days and given me some of her money. I asked her not to, but she insisted I take it. She always refuses my generosity, too. I can't get her to sit down for as much as a cup of tea. She's always so stony, you know? She'll give kindness, but she won't accept it at all in return. I don't think she thinks too well of herself." 

Hitomi was fairly surprised by the relevation. The previous day she had surveyed the former maid's room, and found precious little in the way of money or posessions. She had assumed that Kipalisa had been garnishing Halena's wages for his own use. "Thank you for telling me." she said. 

"If she needs a place to go, now that she's lost that man, my home is always open to her." the older woman said. 

"That's a very kind offer." said Hitomi. "However, I doubt that she will be back for a long time. She's going to Freid." 

"Freid?" 

"I'm not at liberty to discuss the reasons." Hitomi said. "I will tell her that you asked about her though. In a few days, some guards will be coming to go through Kipalisa's posessions. Don't be alarmed by them. We're hoping to create an account for her with what we seize, so that she can live a good life." 

"It's nice to see the royalty looking out for their employees." the old woman said with a smile. 

***

Halena was surprised when she found out she was being sent to Freid. Hitomi had quickly and thoroughly managed to research the limited options on Gaea for psychological treatment. It turned out that Freid was on the forefront of research in that field. A group of monks had set up a facility where residents - mostly survivors of war - could live and interact within the community, while receiving the counseling and surveilence they needed. 

There, Halena would have the opportunity to attend an actual school, which was still a priveledge rather than an obligation in most Gaean countries. She would also have an opportunity to start over, in a place where no one knew of her crimes. Finally free of Kipalisa's manipulation, she'd be able to pursue her own destiny in the world. Hitomi was satisfied with her decision, and Van supported it as well. 

Halena, on the other hand, was terrified. Living in the Fanelian dungeon until the end of her days had more appeal to her than having her brains picked and emotions exposed by some monk in a distant country she had never even seen. She hadn't really known freedom since her childhood, and she was unsure of what she would do with it once it was dropped in to her hands. She kept this fear to herself, though, just as she'd done with almost every feeling that had come before it. She spent the days idly surveying the patterns in the stone walls of her cell, her features a picture of indifference. 

***

It was decided that Van's birthday would be a low-key affair. Anything too extravagant would detract from the splendor of the coming wedding; now only a color away. There were very few guests at the celebration beyond palace staff, so Celena supposed that she should feel honored to be invited. 

The king of Fanelia and his bride-to-be were something else that night. They wore coordinated outfits of bold red silk. Their movement through the room was like something ethereal as they mingled and interacted seamlessly with their guests, staff, and each other. They seemed untouchable; a picture of confidence and contentment. 

Celena disbelievingly recalled Hitomi slouched, sobbing and puffy-eyed, over the table in Merle's bedroom not so long ago; her emotions in turmoil over what Van had done. The couple seemed to have bounced back from their crisis as solid as ever. Celena had heard of the poisoning drama from Allen, and she vaguely supposed that could be the reason for their smooth reconciliation. 

Celena also supposed she should be happy for Hitomi and Van, but she was supposing a lot. For reasons she could not fathom, the sight of them behaving as if things were nothing short of perfect made her feel bitter rather than happy. She stared listlessly at the glass of vino in her hand, from which she hadn't even bothered to sip. She had never really liked the taste of the stuff, and though she had a high tolerance, she wasn't pleasant once she did achieve a druken state. 

At Allen and Eries' wedding, the Crusade crew had egged her on to drink as much as possible. That unfortunate incident had ended with her challenging Gaddess to a fist fight, Allen locking her in her room until she sobered, and having a "talk" with his men. They'd been afraid to do so much as look at her ever since. Merle had never let her live that experience down. 

She'd seen nothing of the cat-girl since she'd arrived in Fanelia, and she doubted that she was going to. Van had regretfully informed her that Merle wasn't feeling well and could not have visitors, as they'd disturb her rest. This baffled Celena. Only a few years ago, before her job and responsibilities, she had come to visit once when Merle was ill. Not only was she permitted to see the cat-girl then, she helped care for her. Merle stayed in bed for two days straight and Celena stayed dutifully by her side, keeping her company and bringing her whatever she needed. 

Van had thanked her quite profusely for her help then. He even offered her an obscene amount of money to express his gratitude, which she politely refused. Now she worried that maybe Merle just didn't want to see her and Van was trying to spare her feelings. 

Somewhere along the course of Celena's wistful reminiscence, one of the castle servants broke out a guitar, announcing that it just wouldn't be a party without music and dancing. He sat in the corner of the room and began to strum out a slow, romantic tune. Celena had hardly noticed the music until she looked up and observed the sight of Van and Hitomi dancing. Their dance was far from the waltzes Allen and Eries had perfected, but it wasn't without beauty. They stared in to each other's eyes as they circled the floor in a tight embrace. A few times Hitomi would stumble, but Van would promptly catch her. One time, he tripped over his own feet, and was caught by her. All eyes were fixed upon them, but as far as the lovers were concerned, they were the only ones in the room. 

Celena raised the glass of vino to her lips and chugged it all down in one quick gulp, wincing as the bitter taste washed over her palette and stung the back of her throat. She slumped down in a chair against the wall, letting her eyes drift in and out of focus as the alcohal buzz came on. It wasn't much of a buzz. It just made her feel worse. Her eyelids felt heavy and she started to think that perhaps she should retire for the night. Sleeping would be preferable to sitting alone in a crowded room and feeling sorry for herself. She was just about ready to leave, when, to her surprise, she felt a warm arm drape over her shoulder and fall to wrap around her waist. 

"Hi Celena-chan." Merle's voice purred low in her ear. Celena's eyes lit up in an instant and she turned in her seat, returning her friend's hug gratefully. Even when Merle slipped out of the embrace, she rested her arm on Celena's shoulder. 

"Are you feeling better?" Celena asked. "Wow, you look good!" she exclaimed before the cat-girl even had a chance to answer. Without fail, Merle had worn something revealing; a burgundy-shade dress slit up either side, sleeveless and laced in the front to exhibit a rather large portion of cleavage. A clear crescent-shaped pendant hung against her collarbone. Her pink hair was swept up gracefully so that only the ends hung down, brushing against the back of her neck. Her eyes and smile were radiant. In Celena's mind, if Hitomi and Van had been stars, Merle was the sun. Her brightness seemed to eclipse the entire room, but no one else really seemed to notice. 

"Thanks." said Merle with a smile. "I bought the dress from a merchant a few days ago. Supposedly it's the latest fashion in Egzardia. And I'm feeling just fine, Celena. I was avoiding Van. He and I have had some...differences...lately." 

"Over what happened with Hitomi?" Celena asked. "Are those two really getting along as well as they make it look these days?" 

"Oh, they're getting along better than ever." Merle said disenchantedly. "That's not what we fought about though. Look, I'll tell you about it some other time. Why don't you come up to the roof with me now?" Celena nodded, rising to her feet. Merle looped her arm in Celena's and began to lead her from the room. 

Unbeknownst to Celena or anyone else, Van momentarily broke his eye contact with Hitomi to shoot Merle a dissaproving glance. She glared daggers back at him and gripped Celena's arm ever-the-more tightly as they exited the room. 

***

"Hmm, this is still my favorite place in the entire world." said Celena with a nostalgic smile as she looked out over the rooftops of Fanelia. Merle took a seat beside her, snuggling against her as she always did. 

"You're warm, Celena-chan." she whispered. 

"I don't feel warm." said the ashy-haired girl, putting her arm around the cat-girl. "I've been feeling pretty empty lately." 

"Strange; wasn't I the one who was saying that the last time we were up here?" Merle questioned. 

"Come to think of it, yeah, you were. Do you still feel that way?" 

"Not quite. Not anymore." the cat-girl replied. "Celena-chan?" 

"Yes." 

"I want you to kiss me." 

Celena felt a strange sense of detachment upon hearing Merle's request. She was certain her mind was playing a trick on her. Perhaps she'd really fallen asleep in the midst of the party, to the sweetest alcohal-induced dream of her life. But it would be nothing more than a dream; something fleeting. She was convinced that at any moment, she'd wake up to a terrible hangover. "Why do you want me to kiss you?" she asked wearily. 

"I just do." Merle answered as if it were the most simple request in the world. In reality, it was. It was just a simple series of motions which could be executed in a matter of seconds. But she hadn't kissed Merle before, even when she'd wanted to with all of her heart. She didn't know if she had the courage to do it now. 

Carefully, as not to draw attention to herself, she pressed her thumb and forefinger in to the curve of her own elbow. She pinched the sensitive skin there, hard. When the pain shot through her, her doubt as to the reality of the situation was removed. Her heart began to pound rapidly, and she moved her fingers to her chest, pressing softly in attempt to quiet it. What a strange situation this was! All she could do was look on with wide eyes, and try to remember to breathe. 

Once again, that invisible barrier was there, even if the kiss had been requested. It was probably just a silly, affectionate cat-girl gesture which would carry no deeper meaning. Merle's nonchalant attitude would certainly indicate such. 

Finally, she asked, "Would you kiss me instead?" 

Merle nodded in response, turning to face her friend. Celena gave an involuntary shiver. "Are you sure you want to, Merle?" she asked. 

Merle pressed a finger to Celena's lips in the kind of gesture that would take place between lovers. "Yes." she smiled. I'm entirely sure. She leaned in closer toward her. Celena inched backwards nervously. 

"Cut that out." Merle pouted. "You don't want me to kiss you!" 

Celena sighed. "No, I don't have a problem with it. I just...don't understand." She decided that talking any more would just damn it all to hell, so she closed her eyes and braced herself for what was to come. She could give no indication of how she really felt about it. She didn't want to scare her friend. Merle pressed her lips against hers for what was perhaps five seconds, then backed away. 

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" the cat-girl grinned at her accomplishment. 

"No..." said Celena, who was blushing a deep tomato-shade. "But what was the point of it?" 

"Well," asked Merle, "you love me, right?" 

Celena nodded. "Of course I do, you're my best-" 

"Then let me kiss you again." said the cat-girl. She climbed in to Celena's lap and put her arms around her. "Come on, relax." Merle said, stroking her fingertips gently across the tops of Celena's shoulders and through her hair. "It's just me, Merle. See?" She gave a big, toothy grin that caused Celena to laugh. Some of the tension left her body, and the next kiss wasn't quite as awkward. 

By about the fifth kiss, Celena was finally starting to get used to the concept that her best friend was sitting in her lap, kissing her repetitively. The kisses were quick and chaste, unlike Hitomi and Van, who often attempted to eat each other's faces. Allen and Eries didn't eat each other's faces, at least not in her presence. They were too proper for that. She shuddered involuntarily when she thought of Allen. What would he say about this? 

"Did you like it?" Merle asked. 

"Well, I didn't dislike it." Celena answered hesitantly, not knowing what kind of response the cat-girl expected of her. "Did you like it?" she asked nervously. 

"Sure." said Merle. "I wanted to know what it would be like." 

That was it, then? Celena frowned in frustration. Boldly she tilted the cat-girl's chin upwards and proceeded to kiss her in the less-than-innocent manner that she had previously contemplated. Merle's eyes nearly bugged out of her head, but she made no effort to pull away. Celena found that the act of kissing that way - which she thought would be awkward - came quite naturally to her. 

_Maybe Dilandu had been an expert kisser?_ she wondered. But even if that were the case, the knowledge was now her own to use as she saw fit. Had Merle been equally good at it, the kiss would of lasted longer, but she began to cough and sputter, not knowing to breathe through her nose. 

Celena patted her back lamely. "Sorry about that, Merle." she said. "I didn't mean to suffocate you..." 

"That's okay." said Merle, laying her head on her shoulder. "I'll get better at it." 

"Does that mean...it will be happening often?" 

"I think so." Merle purred, peering up through half-lidded eyes. 

"I still don't understand..." Celena sighed weakly. "Best friends don't usually do this?" 

"Mm...you love me, right?" she said, laying her head on Celena's shoulder. 

"I already told you..." Celena began. 

"Like Hitomi loves Van, though?" Merle interupted, "Like Allen loves Eries? Like Millernia loves Dryden?" 

Celena made no attempt to hide the broad smile that stretched across her face. There was no reason for disbelief anymore, and she decided to go with the game. "Like you love fish?" she asked mischeviously. 

"More so. Like you love swordplay?" Merle retorted. 

"More than that." Celena kissed her forehead. 

"I take that as a yes." Merle said. 

"And it doesn't matter that I'm a girl?" Celena asked. 

"It doesn't matter that I'm a silly little cat-girl?" Merle answered. 

"It doesn't matter that I'm a girl who used to be a boy who destroyed your country and tried to kill Van?" 

"You should have killed him." Merle grumbled. 

"That bad, hmm?" asked Celena, playing with the strands of hair which hung against the back of Merle's neck. "You can tell me about it." 

"It's just...I don't want to talk about it." Merle frowned a bit, staring at her hands. 

"Okay, but I love you." Celena said. 

Merle's expression brightened again. "I love you too." 

"Mmm, I've missed you. I wish I never had to go back to Asturia again." 

"No, I'll come with you to Asturia." said Merle with sudden conviction. "Please take me away from this place." 

***

The next morning, Hitomi awoke to find Van slumped over the table in their room, his head in his hands. His fingers were threaded through the thick black strands of his hair, still tangled from sleep. "Morning?" she asked, giving him a quizzical expression. 

"Yes, something's wrong." he answered solemnly, having translated her body language. He picked up a note and flicked his wrist listlessly, beckoning her to come and take it from him, as he hadn't the motivation to move across the room. It was from Merle, and it was hard to read, as if it had been scribbled in haste. 

_Van, _

You have fucked up for the last time. You're not who you used to be, and I'm not coming back from Asturia this time, even if you do get poisoned again. I love Celena, she loves me, and you are not going to take that away from us. 

Merle 

"Are you going to go after her? Maybe try to apologize?" Hitomi asked, putting the letter down. 

Van inhaled deeply, mentally suctioning every last emotion he felt inside to be sealed away for all eternity. He looked Hitomi in the eye and said: "No. She deserves to be happy. I can't expect her to stay when there is so much more for her there." 

~*~*~*~*~*~

**AN:** It seems like the delays between these chapters are getting longer and longer. Baaah! I'm sorry for that. This is what I've done since writing the last chapter: started college, got sick for the first week, took a lot of Day-Quil, wrote two essays, accidentally stabbed myself with a linoleum-carving tool, fell in an icy parking lot, had a quiz, got sick again, missed three classes, had three out-of-state guests, took a psychology test, watched 90 episodes of Inuyasha (my new favorite series) and wrote a fanfic about Miroku and Sango (which I am posting at the same time as this chapter, if anyone wants to check it out.) 

Yeah, there was no bachelor party here. Sorry about that. I'm moving that up to the next chapter, which may also be a while in coming. Further apologies if this sounds choppy or burnt-out. It's the best I can muster right now. Thanks for sticking with me. Anyone get my "Freidian Psychology" pun? ^_^ 

**Site Plug:** http://www.opalwings.com/escaflowne (Currently on a sort-of hiatus due to lack of time, but I'll try to update it again eventually.) 


	10. Clear Horizons

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
**Beneath Two Moons  
10. Clear Horizons**  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
By Jessica Lynn S. (jessica@opalwings.com)  
~*~ 

**Spoilers:** The entire Escaflowne series. 

**Warnings:** Sensuality, _shoujo-ai_ (romance between two female characters), and a bit of violence. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Escaflowne or its characters. No profit is being made from my silly fanfiction hobby. ^_^ I do, however, own this fic and the original characters in contains. Please do not post this story anywhere without asking first. 

**Summary:** Everyone gathers in Fanelia for the wedding. Heartfelt apologies, bachelor parties, and much goofiness ensue. A light-hearted chapter. 

**AN:** Hey, look, I updated! Sorry for the delay; school and guy problems have taken over my life, but both appear to be over for the summer now. ^_^ I thought this chapter would be the last, but it's not. There will probably be one more chapter before this story comes to a close. I hope the shorter chapter length doesn't irk anyone too much. It makes things easier for me to split it up. 

Also: I've said it before, and I'll say it again, more plainly because some people didn't seem to understand it last time. If you don't want to see two female characters interacting romantically, _avoid this chapter_. If you feel the dire need to flame me for it, take a laxative instead. It will do you some good. I keep saying that this story is rated "R" for a reason, and warnings are everywhere. If you ignore them, IT'S YOUR OWN DAMNED FAULT AND I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT! Erm, anyway, on with the fic... 

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

*** 

The most subtle shift of the mattress on which she lay brought Celena out of a vague and fragmented dream. It was Merle, and Celena figured that the cat-girl was probably just stirring in the grip of her own dreams. Celena blinked her eyelids, thick with the dirt of sleep, and closed them again. She was about to drift back into the realm of unconsciousness when she heard the faintest sound of whimpering. Too tired for coherent speech, she uttered a soft groan in response. She heard Merle inhale sharply and the whimpering temporarily cease. Celena was facing away from the cat-girl in the dark room, but it began to dawn on her that something was wrong. With great effort, she rolled over to face her lover. Merle was wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. 

"Umm..." Celena asked groggily, "are you crying?" Merle's entire body froze, and quickly re-animated itself as she attempted to scramble from the bed. Her legs tangled in the sheets and she fell to the wooden floor with a harsh thud. 

"Merle?" Celena asked, still puzzled. Merle scampered to free herself, and bolted out the door. Celena threw the covers off of her own legs and hurried after her in confusion. She found the cat-girl curled into a tiny ball at the end of the foyer, sobbing into her knees. She reached out and placed a hand on Merle's shoulder. Merle's body was already tense, and her muscles just pulled tighter at the touch. Celena's bafflement at the situation was increasing with each passing second. Just a few hours ago, she and Merle had fallen asleep in each others' arms. Everything was fine then, how could it have changed so fast? 

"Have I done something wrong?" Celena asked tentatively. "Have I done something to upset you?" The cat-girl refused to show her face, but shook her head "no" in response to the question. "What is it, then?" Celena asked. 

Merle was silent for several moments. Finally, she uttered a reply in the faintest, tear-choked voice: "He probably hates me now." Celena wasn't very conscious yet, but she was conscious enough to know that Merle was talking about Van. Merle hadn't said a word about him since leaving Fanelia nearly two weeks ago. She never told Celena why they had fought, and Celena certainly hadn't pressed her for an explanation. 

Kneeling, Celena snuggled up to the cat-girl, wrapping her arms around her and coaxing her to lean back against her shoulder. She shifted the both of them so that their collective weight was comfortably supported by the wall. "He could never hate you." she whispered softly against Merle's pointed ear. It was a fact that she was absolutely sure of. Van loved Merle every bit as much as she did, even if not in the same way. 

"I wrote him a very nasty note when we left." said Merle, between sniffles. "Very nasty. Bad words." 

"Shh," said Celena, trying to calm her. "You don't want to wake Lynn up." Merle nodded, fighting for control over her uneven breaths. "Do you want to tell me what you fought about?" Merle sighed, her whole body slumping listlessly against Celena's; who tightened her embrace in response, to keep the cat-girl from falling over. 

"You," Merle whispered. "We fought about you." 

"Me?" asked Celena, arching a single eyebrow. "Did he...know?" 

"If he hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have even guessed how you felt about me," Merle affirmed. 

The thought that Van knew of their relationship, and perhaps disapproved, made Celena uneasy. She couldn't show that insecurity now, though. Her romance with Merle was uncharted territory; they were both unsure of how anyone would feel about it or react to it, so they kept it to themselves. Allen didn't know, even though it was taking place right under his nose. It was painfully amusing how they could exchange glances and giggles in his presence without arousing any suspicions. Eries was the one they had to be careful around, but if she suspected anything, she said nothing. Celena had assumed that, because Van was so far away, there wasn't the slightest chance of him knowing anything. 

"He thought that I would jump into your arms just because I was desperate for love, not because I really loved you," Merle said. "He thought I'd hurt you, or me, or the both of us by being an impetuous little brat like I always am." 

Celena hugged her tighter. "You were bold, I'll give you that, but I'm grateful for it. I've never been happier in my life." Merle turned her head, rubbing her cheek affectionately against Celena's shoulder and purring in response. 

"Maybe I didn't hurt either of us," she whispered sadly, "but I hurt Van-sama." Celena's eyes were adjusting enough to the dark that she could make out Merle's pained expression. 

"He should have had more faith in you," Celena stated simply. 

"But can it stay this way forever? I can't tolerate a lifetime of not speaking to him again, but I don't know if I have a choice now!" Merle's words were once again punctuated by sobs. 

"Of course not, silly," Celena said. She stroked Merle's hair, which was wildly frizzed from sleep. "We're going back for the wedding, after all. We'll arrive early. You'll have time to talk things out." 

"Should we go? Would it really be a good idea?" Merle asked uncertainly. 

Celena laughed softly and nodded. "I just said we were going to. We both have a responsibility to be there for Van, and for Hitomi. I love you, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you run away from your problems." 

Merle nodded sleepily. The cat-girl's ear pressed into Celena's chest, and she could hear her love's heart beat. It was slow, even and comforting. Celena yawned, and Merle felt very bad for waking her. "Let's go back to sleep," she said. Before she could stand, Celena effortlessly scooped her up in her arms and carried her back to their room. 

***

Van was conducting an inspection of the freshly-scrubbed main hall when Hitomi came trudging into the room, visibly agitated. "The didn't get the napkins yet," she sighed with exasperation. "The guests could start arriving as early as tomorrow, and nobody bothered to order the new napkins." 

"Umm," said Van, slightly nervous, "it's easy to go out and get napkins. There's plenty of time left for that." 

Hitomi sighed. "How can you be so relaxed?" she asked him. 

"I've planned lots of events before this," Van continued, "things are always crazy at the last minute, but they always fall into place, too. You're going to be royalty; you're just going to have to get used to the insanity." 

"So much for sympathy," said Hitomi, rolling her eyes. 

"I'm very sympathetic," Van responded with a grin. 

"And I don't have to marry you," stated Hitomi. It was just an empty threat, though. She wrapped an arm around Van and laid her head on his shoulder, just so he'd know she wasn't serious. 

"Darn!" he said, "And I ordered all this food for nothing?" She slapped his arm playfully. 

A guard walked into the room at that moment. "Van-sama, Hitomi-sama," he bowed respectfully, "some of your guests have arrived." 

"Already?" Van grumbled. He felt mild frustration in having to accommodate someone a day early, when there was still so much else to be done. Hitomi was silent, but she looked equally dumbfounded. Just then, the guests in question appeared in the doorway. Van felt his anxiety dissipate instantly. 

"Merle?" he asked in disbelief, as if the cat-girl and her Caeli companion which stood before him were nothing but apparitions. 

"Van-sama?" Merle peeped timidly, taking a small step towards him. Her tail nervously twitched behind her, and she stared at the ground. Suddenly and without explaination, her inhibitions failed her, and she rushed from Celena's side into his arms. She nearly toppled him as she clung desperately, banishing all doubt in his mind that she was real. "Are you mad at me?" she asked anxiously, peering up at his face with her wide blue eyes. 

"No," He shook his head. "I'm happy to see you. I'm sorry I upset you so much." He spoke with the utmost sincerety as he returned her embrace. 

Tears pooled and glimmered in the corners of Merle's eyes. "I shouldn't have left like that, without even telling you I was going," she said. The tears started to seep down her cheeks, and Van promptly wiped them away with his thumb. 

"Everything's okay, Merle," he said reassuringly. 

Celena walked up beside Hitomi. "Does it ever bother you, even the slightest bit?" she asked curiously, indicating to Van and Merle. 

Hitomi laughed. "When I was younger, it did. I got used to it though; that's just them. Does it bother you?" 

Celena shrugged. "I was used to it, before Merle was mine," she grinned. "But I suppose I should get used to it again. They are like brother and sister." 

"Yeah, they quarrel like it, too," Hitomi laughed. Upon seeing her friends return, she felt like an enormous weight had lifted from her shoulders. Van hadn't been entirely himself since Merle left. He had dealt with his emotions well, but sometimes he got a faraway look in his eyes, and she could tell that he was feeling guilty. 

"The dresses are finished now, do you want to see yours?" Hitomi offered. "Those two have a lot to talk about, I think," Celena nodded, and the two left Van and Merle to their own devices. 

Merle composed herself. She and Van positioned themselves comfortably on the floor, and Van held her protectively. "It looks like I was wrong," he said, "And even if I hadn't been, the decision was yours to make. I just wanted you to be happy." 

"I'm sorry too," Merle replied, "I need to tell you something, though." Van nodded, waiting patiently as she mustered her courage. "After the wedding, I'm going back to Asturia with Celena," she finally managed to say. "It's not because of you, I promise." 

"I know," Van nodded. "You're like Hitomi, in a way. If I didn't have these responsibilities, I would have gone to her in her world. I'm sure Celena would have done the same for you. It's just easier for you to go to her, so it's what you have to do, right?" 

She nodded. "It's not going to change the fact that you're my best friend, though," she said. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Both Merle and Celena gave their all to aiding in the wedding preparations. Merle was doing her best to make up for lost time. Relieved of some of their responsibilities, Hitomi and Van found it easier to relax. On the morning of the day before the wedding, the majority of their guests arrived. In the late afternoon, Dryden pulled Van aside. 

"I've arranged for an airship to pick us up in an hour. We're going out. Be ready," he said with a smirk. 

"Where are we going?" asked Van. 

"You are a clueless one, aren't you?" Dryden smiled. "Don't worry about it, you'll find out soon enough." Van scratched his head in puzzlement as Dryden walked away. 

***

The room was dimly lit and the air was heavy with the smell of incense. Tables were set up to fully encircle a central stage, where five barely-clad women danced suggestively to slow and rhythmic music. High-class Asturian men gathered at the foot of the stage, whooping and egging the dancers on. 

Van's face was bright red, and he seemed horribly interested in the wood grain pattern of his table. He could not believe that Dryden had brought him to this place. Allen, who sat to his right, looked infuriated. "There are many ways in which a beautiful woman can make an honest living besides this, respectable ways!" he exclaimed. "They are being exploited." 

"It's their choice," said Dryden, "and they are paid well for it. I'd have to say that their beauty is quite respectable." 

"Someone like you would say as much," muttered Allen. 

Dryden dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand. "I don't come here often," he said with a grin. "It's just that this is really the last time Van-sama can get away with seeing a woman other than Hitomi naked." 

"He's not doing much looking though, is he?" asked Gaddess. He elbowed Van. 

"Hmm, uhh...I agree with Allen," Van said. 

"The poor boy will probably have a heart attack on his wedding night when he figures out what he's expected to do," Gaddess laughed. Van shook his head and took a sip of the vino in front of him. 

He wasn't going to give his friends the satisfaction of knowing he'd already slept with Hitomi, and in fact, did not have a heart attack in the process. As far as he was concerned, those kinds of things were sacred between lovers. What they shared was definitely not something to talk about with anyone else, not even good friends. 

***

Hitomi looked at the burnt loaf and sighed. "I've gotten spoiled here," she said. "It's been too long since I've baked anything by myself." 

"You can keep trying until you get it right," Millernia reassured her. "We've got plenty of ingredients. And we are behind you all the way!" She, Merle and Celena had gathered in the kitchen to watch and provide moral support as Hitomi undertook the ritual of baking ceremonial bread. Celena dutifully washed out the mixing bowl as the soon-to-be-queen sighed and began measuring out new ingredients. 

"Hey, are you nervous about tomorrow, Hitomi?" Millernia asked. 

"I'm just nervous that things won't go as planned," Hitomi said, "I'll be happy when this whole fuss is done and over with." 

"No, Hitomi," said Millernia with a big smile. "What I mean is, well, are you nervous about tomorrow night?" Hitomi blinked. "If you're interested, I have some tips on how to make things less painful for you..." Millernia offered. 

Hitomi looked down and blushed. "Umm, well, thanks Millernia, but that won't really be nessicary," she said, wringing her hands. 

"Oh!" Millernia said, blinking with realization, "So you've slept with him already?" 

Hitomi nodded hesitantly. "That makes me look bad, doesn't it?" 

"No, I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Is Van any good?" the Asturian Queen inquired. 

Hitomi merely nodded; a lopsided nervous grin playing on her lips. 

The romantic life of everyone present suddenly seemed like a good discussion topic to Millernia. "So, Merle, are there any boys in your life these days?" she inquired, shooting a glance to the cat-girl, who was perched daintily atop a counter. Merle blinked, at a complete loss for words. She and Hitomi exchanged uncertain glances. 

"Merle is very much in love," Celena abruptly volunteered, fluttering her eyelashes dramatically. 

"With whom?" Millernia asked, in excited anticipation. 

"Well, I'm not at liberty to say exactly," said Celena, twirling a single ashy-blonde curl around her fingertip with a coy smile. Merle's face was bright red, and she was attempting to melt into the countertop. "However, I do believe that the object of her affections is really quite dashing. Known through the land for their good looks, and their swordsmanship." Millernia wore a pondering expression. 

"Should we discuss Celena's love life now?" hissed Merle from her corner, "And how she writes goofy poetry and songs for the object of her affections? Really," Merle rolled her eyes, "she is totally smitten. It's almost sickening!" 

"Sickening, huh?" Celena folded her arms across her chest, feigning a hurt expression. "Who compared her lover to catnip last night? If that's not goofy..." 

Millernia blinked in confusion. Hitomi laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's probably best not to ask," she reassured her. Celena had turned her back on Merle, which was a dangerous mistake. The next thing she knew, the cat-girl had snuck up behind her and dumped an entire bag of flour over her head. Celena blinked and sneezed out a cloud of the powdery substance. Hitomi and Millernia laughed. 

"That's for talking about my love life without my expressed written approval!" Merle huffed. She sounded angry, but there was a mischievous twinkle in her eye. 

"Hey, Merle," said Celena, who looked like a ghost beneath all the flour, "give me a hug!" Merle shook her head and bolted behind Hitomi. Celena chased the cat-girl in a circle around her. Hitomi stepped to the side to avoid incident with the flour. Without any warning, Millernia cracked an egg and let it run down the front of Hitomi's dress. 

"Hey, what was that for?!" Hitomi asked, attempting to wipe away the stickiness with her hand. 

"It looked like fun?" Millernia offered. 

"That's just a waste of food!" Hitomi stammered. 

Celena grabbed her arm. "It's us against them!" she announced, pointing to Merle and Millernia. Hitomi sighed and grabbed a pitcher of milk as all hopes of baking bread temporarily slipped away. 

***

Van raised an eyebrow when Hitomi greeted him with eggs on her blouse and flour in her hair, but he didn't ask. She was beaming, as if all of her worries over the wedding preparations had miraculously dissapeared. That was enough to make him happy. 

"Where did Dryden take you?" she asked, with innocent curiosity. 

"It was a horrible place," he told her, quite sincerely. "I will never look at vegetables quite the same way again." 

Hitomi shrugged, then decided that it was best if she didn't ask, either. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

**AN:** The next chapter will have a wedding. And chickens. "Chickens," you say, "really?" 

"You'll just have to wait and find out," I say. 

"I like chickens," you say. 

"So do I," I reply, "so do I." 

And we slip into daydream, contemplating our love of chickens. 

Or maybe not... 


End file.
